Lonely Angel
by Nozomi02
Summary: Nozomi, a strange half breed and recent graduate of Hogwarts, had been alone for nine years, until one day she explored the forbidden regions of the National Library... Chapter 14 uploaded
1. A Trip to the Library

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author Note: I've been working on this story for quite a while, but I'm coming to a difficult part to write, and I'm afraid of getting stuck, so I'm hoping to get some inspirational feedback from you wonderful reviewers. However, it would be greatly appreciated if all criticisms were constructive. Any flames will be ignored. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the story!

A Trip to the Library

A young woman, just like any other, walked across the street, satchel in hand. Only she wasn't like any other, and not just because she was in downtown Tokyo, and not Japanese. Her name was Nozomi Elendi, and she had a very unusual past indeed. Six months previous to today, she graduated from a boarding school called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Nozomi had no living family, and was raised by her father's closest friend after the death of her parents. What set her apart the most from those around her was her light brown hair with golden highlights and clear eyes of indeterminate color, but at Hogwarts she blended in impeccably as a very accomplished and intelligent witch.

On this particular day Nozomi was heading to the National Library to pick up some entertaining reading material. To fill up her days, she volunteered at several nursing homes in the area, and her evenings were filled up with the needs of homeless dogs and cats (and sometimes such exotic things as chickens and lizards) at the local animal shelter. However, Nozomi happened to be a restless sleeper, and needed something to read to get her to sleep. A nice romance usually did the trick, but if that failed, she had to bring out the big guns; a nice, long, boring history book was guaranteed to have her snoozing within fifteen minutes. She had the history book back at her seaside cabin; her mission today was a romance or other similarly brainless, feel-good book.

Her mind was not on the books on the shelves though, or even the one she was holding mindlessly in her hand, it was on one of the most poignant conversations she had had with her only friend from Hogwarts.

**Flashback**

"Sean attacked you _again?_ Why do you put up with that Nozomi? Why don't you defend yourself? I don't understand why you don't learn jinxes like every other student in this school. Do you _like_ to get hurt?!"

"You know how I feel about attacking people, Rose. I don't do it with my fists, and I'm not going to with my wand either."

"But don't you get _mad_ at all?! I'd be furious if someone did that to me! Why do you put up with it so calmly?"

"I don't care if he attacks me, I don't care what happens to me."

"And that's yet another thing I don't understand. I've seen the real person you hide beneath that 'I don't care' attitude; I know you're not like this. So why hide it? Why act like you don't care?"

"I don't."

"You know, sometimes, Nozomi, it's not worth it, being your friend. For two years I've hoped to bring you out of that shell you've built up, and sometimes I think I've made a breakthrough, but then you push me away again. If you keep this up, you're going to live your life alone."

"I am alone."

"No, you're not. You only think you are. Not only that, but you're graduating in a few weeks, and you still don't know what you're going to do after school, do you?"

"I decided last night."

"And? Taking the ministry up on _any_ of their offers?"

"No. I'm going back to the muggle world. Back to Japan."

"I see. Is this the final push? Are you getting rid of me for good now? You know what I say? Good riddance!" Rose began to walk away in a fit of temper.

"Rose." Unwillingly she stopped. Nozomi pulled something out of her robes and walked towards her, forcing Rose to look at her. "Here's a two way mirror. So your owl doesn't have to be out of commission for three weeks every time you want to talk."

Without another word, Nozomi walked away.

**End of Flashback**

Though she had never said so to anyone, she did feel one emotion, only one. Sadness. At first it was so painful, she could barely stand it, but now it was down to a sharp ache deep in her heart. Most people felt like she was overreacting to her grandfather's death. But to Nozomi, she had lost not only the only family she had ever known, but the only person to accept her for who she was, and love her unconditionally.

'Rose just doesn't understand. She's normal, she fits in. I've never fit in anywhere. There's just no place for me. When jii-chan was alive, I belonged. But when he died, he took that with him. Without him, there's just no place for me. I've tried making my own niche since school ended, but it just isn't working. All I want is somewhere where I can be myself.'

It was after she had checked out her books that something noteworthy happened. Out of the corner of her eye, just as she was about to leave, Nozomi saw something red move. To her left was a very dark staircase. The message was clearly: No Patrons, Employee's Only. However, Nozomi had this little thing generally referred to as a certain disregard for rules, and she had always been taught to follow her intuition, and right now, either it or her curiosity was screaming at her to go up the stairs. Not to mention if she looked closely she could see a faint red trail leading up the stairs, and of course that had to mean that she hadn't imagined the movement in that direction. Getting a firmer grip on her satchel, she boldly walked up the stairs. Surefire way never to get questioned – act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't.

The stairs led to a room full of rare manuscripts and books, or so the sign on the mysteriously unlocked door said. Nozomi couldn't resist walking in and taking a look. After all, she'd come this far, right? She was just admiring one with a particularly unusual cover when a loud thump scared the living daylights out of her. She whipped around, her satchel nearly upsetting a whole shelf of books in the process. Sighing in relief when it was only a book that had fallen to the floor, Nozomi replaced the one she had been looking at before bending over to look at the one that had fallen. It looked like it had originally been in Chinese, but had been translated into Japanese by someone Nozomi had never heard of. The title was Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, or in English, The Universe of the Four Gods. The cover was fairly plain, but it was Nozomi's favorite color of red, so she decided to forgive it for that horrendous offense and look inside. On the inside was a very plain, but oddly detailed portrait of a phoenix done in traditional Chinese style. Now officially intrigued, Nozomi began to read.

For an old book, it certainly had a modern approach to writing, it almost sounded like one of those 'reader participation' books, rather like a choose your own adventure. It was talking about a girl who went to another world, obtained the power of Suzaku, and had all her wishes granted. Then came the strange part, it warned that the first page was an incantation, and as soon as the first page was turned the story would begin and become real.

Having dealt with the magical world, Nozomi did know that that was possible, but she highly doubted that she would find a portal to another world in a muggle library. Surely the Ministry of Magic or whatever Japan's equivalent was would have seized it long ago. So, having decided that it was an ancient Chinese scholar's idea of an impressive opening, she turned the page, eagerly awaiting the words that would soon engulf her, and make the story as real to her as if the first page spoke true.

Engulf was the correct word, for that was exactly what happened, though it wasn't the words on the page that did so. It was an odd red light that temporarily blinded her. When her sight returned, she was no longer in the dark room, surrounded by fascinating books. She was in a field in the middle of nowhere at what looked like high noon. Taking a moment to calm herself, she accessed her situation. Obviously the Ministry had overlooked this little bit of magic, and she wasn't in Kansas anymore. Not that she'd ever been to Kansas, but it's the principle of the thing, right? Not a soul was in sight, from what she could tell, but if she looked closely, there seemed to be a very faint path, leading either north or south, depending on which way you went.

She was just debating the merits of either direction when an unexpected hand tried to sneak around and grab her from behind. Thanks to Nozomi's long history of Aikido training, however, the key word in that sentence is 'tried'. With instinct born of long practice, she grabbed the offending hand, and flipped its owner so he landed on his back in front of her. While the man lay there slightly stunned, his partner in crime made a grab for her. He too, found the action to be a mistake, and ended up in the same position as the first. They proved to be very persistent young men, and got up each time to try and grab Nozomi again, who coolly thwarted their every attempt.

Just as all three involved thought that this game of cat and mouse could go on forever, a fourth entered the game. Another young man showed up, and with a forceful tone, demanded in Japanese that they cease their attack on the young lady. Eagerly, for this man looked like he was used to giving a good fight, the two attackers turned to confront him. It seemed their judgment was not the best today, however, for the new man wasted no time in proving that he was Alpha Wolf beyond a doubt. After receiving several broken bones each, the two ran off with their tail between their legs. Figuratively, of course.

"Are you alright, miss?" The young man asked with concern in his voice.

"Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you. I don't suppose you happen to know what those men wanted?" she replied in the same language as the young man. Politely, she didn't mention the strange red character on his forehead that meant 'ogre'.

"You didn't know? They're slave traders."

"Well, then thank you again, it seems I owe you a favor."

"Forget the favors, I'd rather have cash." He said with a slight hint of enthusiasm in his voice at the mention of money.

Nozomi gave a derisive laugh. "Well, I have money on me, but somehow I doubt you would consider it sufficient compensation for your efforts." At the man's confused look, she reached into her satchel for her little change purse, and pulled out a combination of Japanese yen and money from the magical world. "Needless to say, I'm not from around here. What's your name?"

A little startled by the sudden question, he answered without thinking. "Tamahome, everyone calls me Tamahome."

"Well Tamahome, my name is Nozomi. If I ever get a chance to repay you, I will. In the meantime, if you need anything, I hope you'll think of me. Now I have one more question."

"Yes?" asked a very confused and befuddled Tamahome.

"Which way is it to the nearest city?"

"South, to Eiyo."

"Thank you again, Tamahome. I hope to see you later." With that, Nozomi walked south with the unconscious poise of an athlete along the path she had noted earlier. Tamahome looked curiously after her for a while, before heading off in an entirely different direction, which happened to be a shortcut to Eiyo.

Nozomi walked contentedly onward. At first the path was so faint that she had to be very careful not to stray from it, but as she walked, it got clearer and clearer. Obviously she was getting closer to high traffic areas.

Though the weather was pleasant, and she was not at all cold, Nozomi decided to conjure up a cloak for herself, so she could get rid of her satchel. She wanted to have both hands free should any other slave traders decide to test their skills on her. Bringing out her wand, she brought out a nice white cloak, one that conveniently hid her modern clothes, and had plenty of pockets to deposit her belongings from her satchel. Her wand went in the most accessible pocket, then came her Discman and travel pack of CDs, her indispensable triple action pepper spray for when she got really mad, her newly acquired romances, the essential birth control pills she took for cramps - she had three month's worth, as she had gone to the pharmacy before the library - and the little change purse full of her money. Vanishing her satchel, she started off again with a renewed sense of confidence.

Not long after her wardrobe change, Nozomi entered the city of what she assumed was Eiyo. The marketplace was alive with activity, there were so many people squished into the tiny streets that there was barely room for all the kiosks selling food and decorative items. Catching only tiny glimpses of the items for sale, Nozomi gradually made her way through the streets. Looking around at the people, Nozomi was glad that she traded her satchel for the cloak, because now, no one saw anything odd about her appearance. Everyone was wearing traditional Chinese robes of all kinds.

Catching a glimpse of what lay in front of her, Nozomi was fascinated to see elephants wandering the streets with their trainers, entertaining a captivated crowd of onlookers. Forcing her way closer to the spectacle, she saw that it was only a small part of an amazing parade.

Tapping a woman close to her on the shoulder, Nozomi asked, "Excuse me miss, what's going on here?"

The woman examined her in surprised disbelief before saying, "It's the annual parade for the emperor. See?" she asked, pointing, "There's his carriage way back there."

Thanking the woman, Nozomi edged her way closer to the parade, for some reason she wanted a front row seat. Politely but irrefutably inserting herself between two young men, she got her wish, just a few moments before the emperor's carriage was to appear. Looking left, she saw Tamahome a ways back. She considered going over to talk to him, but decided she wanted to see the emperor more.

Though she wasn't looking at him, the man on her right was giving off extremely agitated vibes. Subtly glancing at him, she happened to notice that he had a death grip on a sword, and was shaking quite badly. Guessing what he was so nervous about, she took out her wand, and conjured up a sword of her own, conveniently hidden by her enormous cloak. After replacing her wand in its pocket, she too kept a firm but gentle grip on her sword.

Sure enough, as the emperor's carriage came by, the man raised his sword, and charged the emperor, screaming "DIE!" as he went. To the immense surprise of everyone present, he didn't get far. His scream was cut short as he felt his sword collide with something far too soon and far too hard to be either the emperor or one of his guards.

It was a young woman, a strange looking young woman indeed. She wore a long white cloak, but she had the oddest color of hair and eyes anyone had ever seen. She had stopped the man's sword with one of her own, and was currently holding a perfect defensive stance. Angry that this odd petite youngthing had prevented his assassination attempt, the man began to fight with her. It appeared though, that the young lady in question had been well taught, for she blocked all his attacks with an ease that only comes from years of dedicated practice.

Nozomi was having the time of her life. She had used swords before in her Jujitsu and Aikido practice, but never real swords, and not for many years had she had a live partner to practice with. There was an elegance about sword fighting that appealed toher and made it more like fun than a method of defense. She could tell that her partner was having trouble controlling his anger, men usually got angry when she only defended. Something about it seemed to toy with their egos. Apparently this man was no different; as the fight went on, his attacks got faster, but also far clumsier. Still Nozomi was having little trouble blocking, even at the increased speed and decreased predictability of movement.

The man cursed under his breath at his opponent's calm demeanor and mastery of her weapon. She was barely moving herself, moving her arm only as much as necessary to place her sword in the correct position to deny him the attack he was desperately trying to execute. He was getting more and more tired from the exertion, and she wasn't even breathing hard. His frustration level was mounting in spite of all efforts to remain as calm as his adversary, and he knew his attacks were getting ever more clumsy. Even so, he kept trying to go faster, thinking that was the key to defeating the stranger. When she didn't seem fazed, even by his fastest attacks, he decided to pull out his final card.

The crowd around the fight stared on in astonished silence. They were astonished not only that someone had tried to kill their beloved emperor, but also by the woman who had undoubtedly saved his life. She was now fighting the would-be assassin with a skill not often seen in a woman. The guards were just as stunned as the spectators. All movement had stopped around them; no sounds could be heard except the breathing of the assassin and the clang of the swords as they flashed in the afternoon sun. Time seemed strangely suspended as the fight went on. It obviously could have ended long ago, if only the woman would attack, but it seemed she would only block. That was yet another strange thing about her, with such skill, why did she not end the fight quickly?

As the fascinated crowd watched, the man forced her sword to the side and without warning, rushed towardher faster than he had gone yet, with his sword pointed straight at her heart. Expecting to see even a slight hint of panic in the woman's face, everyone was surprised when she calmly as ever, stepped into the attack, then swerved to the right at the last minute, and knocked the man unconscious with the butt of her sword. There hadn't been the slightest excess movement; everything had been accomplished with the utmost simplicity. Bending down, the woman retrieved the man's sword, and handed it to the nearest guard. "I'm assuming you want to keep this?" She said in a voice that showed all too clearly that she was as calm as she had appeared. Silently the guard nodded and took the proffered sword into his custody. Another guard rushed to pick up the unconscious man, and quickly secured his hands behind his back to be taken to the palace jail.

It was as Nozomi was walking away from the scene that something very odd indeed happened. The same red light that had transported her to this strange world surrounded her once again, only this time she didn't go anywhere, she just emitted this brilliant light, practically blinding everyone present, including Nozomi. Silently she contemplated the oddity of this occurrence.

'I'm already in this world, and there's no other portal that I can see. Theoretically, there's no reason why I should be glowing again. And I don't appear to be going anywhere, so don't mind me, I'll just stand here, beaming like a demented lighthouse.'

As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and the guards were surrounding her, calling her a witch, pointing their newly sharpened spears at her. She was on the verge of an intellectual argument about the wisdom of purposefully doing something that would make them think she was a witch in front of at least 25 armed guards and hundreds of witnesses when a commanding voice halted all movement.


	2. The Priestess

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author Note: This chapter (and a few others) has been heavily reworked, thanks to some stellar feedback I've gotten. Yay!! Thank you reviewers!

The Priestess

The emperor had watched with interest equal to anyone else's as events unfolded towards the end of the parade. Usually the parade was yet another boring duty, surrounded by too many curtains to see anything clearly. However, when he heard the commotion, curiosity was too strong; he gently pulled some of the offending draperies aside to watch the fight. The woman certainly had skill, quite a surprising amount of it. But she seemed to have an aversion to offense. The fight was going to last forever this way. Or perhaps not, the young emperor corrected himself. Due to mounting frustration and anger, her opponent was tiring quickly. When the man made his final attack, he almost gasped with horror at the thought that the young lady might get hurt. When he saw her walk away unscathed, he was more relieved than he could have thought possible. What surprised him the most, however, was as he watched her walk away, he felt regret, and had more than half a mind to detain her by any excuse necessary.

Before he could decide if he should detain her, a red light penetrated everything around him. Everyone was engulfed in it, and though it was hard to see when it was so bright, it looked like his savior was the origin of it. When the light had subsided, and everyone had regained their sight, his guards surrounded her threateningly. The crowds were silent from fear; someone had called the woman a witch. Though the woman wasn't looking at him, and her face was as calm as it had ever been, the emperor thought he could see sadness in her eyes.

As he looked at her, everything suddenly fell into place, and he knew why that light had come from her, and why he had felt regret at seeing her leave, and just as quickly, he knew that he could not let any harm come to her. Readying his emperor voice, he spoke to his guards.

"Do not harm the young woman. Do you forget that she is the one who saved my life?"

The guards were all astonished to hear from his Highness. "But sir," the commanding officer protested, "she is obviously a witch. We must sentence her to death."

"I do not see her as a witch. She has saved my life, and therefore deserves all of our gratitude. And do not forget that there may very well be another explanation for the red light." Addressing the somewhat startled woman, he said, "Come here, Miss." Nozomi quickly and quietly handed her sword to one of the guards and walked up to the emperor's carriage. "I owe you my life, and while that is a debt that cannot be repaid, I would like to try, by inviting you to have dinner at the palace with me tonight."

"That would be wonderful." Nozomi said with a shy smile. "May I ask, I mean, would it be terribly rude of me to ask if I can bring someone with me?"

The emperor was a little disappointed, he had hoped to have the woman all to himself, and if she had a husband, she certainly couldn't be the person he thought she was. "Of course you can bring your husband." To his surprise, he got a full, delightful laugh out of her. A spontaneous laugh that made you feel like laughing too.

"No, I'm not married. But a young man did save me from slave traders when I first arrived here, and though he preferred monetary compensation to thank you's, I was unable to oblige him at the time, so I owe him a favor." Slightly relieved, the emperor agreed to the arrangement. Nozomi looked behind her, and shouted to Tamahome, much to the shock and slight disgust of the others present. Obviously it wasn't considered good manners for a woman to shout here. But Tamahome joined Nozomi at the emperor's side, and they walked with the procession the rest of the way to the palace.

Once there, maids escorted Nozomi and Tamahome to separate rooms where they could freshen up before dinner, while the emperor listened to the guard's reports on the assassin.

"So, what have you learned from him?" the emperor demanded.

"Very little, Your Highness. I'm afraid we can't get him coherent enough to say who sent him. Of course there is always the possibility of him working alone."

"Could you get anything from him at all?"

"Well, Highness, he was raving most of the time, he seemed to think there was someone in the cell with him, and kept talking to the person."

"Schizophrenia." Interrupted a new voice. The emperor and the guard turned to see the girl from before standing in the doorway, devoid of her cloak, and a shocked maid making a fast retreat. "Probably Paranoid Schizophrenia."

"Excuse me?" the very confused emperor asked.

"Schizophrenia is a mental disease involving auditory hallucinations, and in paranoid schizophrenia, the voices either threaten the person hearing them, or tell them what to do, or both, I suppose."

"Why would the voices tell this person to kill His Majesty?"

"I don't know, but usually in cases like these, the voices tell the person that they're being persecuted or threatened by someone. I'm assuming it's why they're called paranoid."

"How do you know all this?" This came from His Majesty.

"I took a correspondence course in psychology. It was something to do."

"Well, thank you for your input, and please, sit down. Dinner will be here momentarily."

"Thank you. By the way, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Nozomi Elendi; it's nice to meet you." As she spoke, she extended her hand in the traditional way of greeting in England, completely forgetting for the time that she was in Ancient China.

Looking at her hand, the emperor looked extremely puzzled. Randomly noting that puzzlement looked quite good on his handsome face, Nozomi explained a little better. "Sorry, this is how we greet people where I'm from. I introduced myself, and offered my hand in greeting, now you're supposed to do the same."

"Hotohori. Just call me Hotohori." Slowly Hotohori extended his hand like Nozomi had, though he didn't grab onto hers like he was supposed to. Still with a good-natured expression, Nozomi grabbed his hand, and shook it slightly.

"Congratulations, Hotohori. You have now successfully completed a traditional English greeting."

Still recovering from the tingling sensation her hand in his inspired, he dazedly replied, "English? What's that?"

"Well, England is the country where I went to school."

"I've never heard of it. There are only four countries around here, Konan, which is this one of course, Kutou, Hokkan, and Cairo."

"Well, I guess we're even, because I've never heard of any of those countries." She said with a smile. The conversation would have continued, but Tamahome chose that moment to make his entrance.

He, to the maid's delight and relief, made the proper entrance when confronted with his Highness. This one obviously knew what was going on a lot better than that unsophisticated young woman who interrupted men when they were talking.

"Nozomi said she attended a school in a country called England, which I have never heard of. I don't suppose you've heard of it, Tamahome?"

"No, Your Highness, I've never heard of it." He turned to Nozomi and asked, "What's it like?"

Grinning a little, Nozomi thought out her answer before saying, "Well, you could say it's another world entirely." Hotohori was instantly all ears. "The kind of clothes I'm wearing now are commonplace, most women prefer to have hair cut close to their heads, and men sometimes grow it out long. They speak a different language there too."

"And you can speak it?" Tamahome asked.

"Of course, I did go to school there for eight years."

"Could you demonstrate for us?" Hotohori asked interestedly.

"What would you like me to say?"

"Oh, anything, just make something up." Tamahome said impatiently.

So Nozomi recited a line of Shakespeare, earning laughter from Tamahome, and a heart-stopping smile from Hotohori.

"Okay, now what did you say?" Tamahome wanted to know.

"'Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.' It's from perhaps the most famous English poet; William Shakespeare's play All's Well."

"Now, you say you went to school there, does that mean you were born somewhere else?" Hotohori curiously asked.

"Yes, I was born in Japan. I lived there until the age of ten, when I moved to England. When I was eleven I began studying at a special boarding school, but even though I lived there during the school year, during the summer I went back to Japan until school started again. Once I was done with school at the age of 17, I moved back to Japan indefinitely."

Tamahome looked confused. "How old are you now?"

Nozomi smiled. "I know, I look like I'm all of 12, but I'm actually 18."

"You're the same age as me." Hotohori said in a surprised voice.

"You're an emperor and you're only 18? Talk about pressure. Okay, Tamahome, your turn, how old are you?"

"I'm 17."

"Nozomi," Hotohori interrupted, "I'm sorry to change the subject, but you're not eating the fish. Is it not to your taste?"

"Oh, no, no, I'm sure it's fine. I'm not eating it because I'm allergic to fish."

"Allergic? What do you mean?"

"Well, if I eat fish my body will reject it, and do everything in its power to purge it from my system. However, I also swell up until I can't breathe. If it's not treated within about two minutes, it could be fatal." The two men looked at her in utter shock. "I have the medicine for it right here." She said quickly, pulling out two long vials of fluid from what modern day people would recognize as an ankle holster. "This one on the right treats the purging, and the other one stops the swelling. I have to stick the pointy end to my thigh and push the button."

Trying to cover up the fact that she kept surprising or shocking him, Hotohori spoke in a voice accustomed to hiding his feelings, "Interesting. Nozomi, do you know why that red light came from you earlier?"

"No, I honestly don't. But I do think it has something to do with how I got to this world."

"And how did you get here?"

"By that same red light. I was reading in the library, when all of a sudden I was surrounded by the light, and when I could see again, I was where Tamahome saved me from the slave traders."

Hotohori had a very special smile on his face. Nozomi was having a hard time looking away from him, which she decided was good, as he soon began to talk. "Being from another world, you probably don't know about the prophecy we have here in Konan. It is said that when the country is on the verge of destruction, a woman from another world will appear, gain the power of Suzaku, save the country and have all her wishes granted. I believe you are that woman, Nozomi. I am asking you as the emperor, will you save Konan, Suzaku no Miko?"

Nozomi tried very hard not to look as shocked as she felt, though she failed miserably. They were asking her to fulfill the prophecy, the legend of their country? Now at least she knew what the book was talking about before. Before she said anything though, Nozomi knew that she had to be totally honest with them. They had to know about her heritage, and about the nature of the school she went to, no matter how hard it was to tell them. Taking a deep breath, she began her answer.

"Before I even consider that option, there are some things you need to know about me. Once I've told you that, if you wish to repeat the question, then I'll answer yes or no. But after I'm done talking, if you decide you don't want me to be the girl from that legend, I certainly won't hold it against you."

She paused to gather her thoughts, while Hotohori and Tamahome looked on curiously. It seemed Nozomi was very good at being slightly mysterious.

"The first thing I ought to tell you is that even though I had nothing to do with the red light earlier, I am a witch. The school I went to was called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I graduated, and am now a fully trained and certified witch. Before I move on to the next thing you need to know, you can ask questions if you want." Nozomi was a little concerned about the men, they weren't moving, just staring at her with expressions of shock. Just as the silence and lack of movement became unbearable, Hotohori collected himself, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Are there a lot of witches where you're from?"

"Actually, yes. In Hogwarts there are four dormitories, and in each one there are about fifteen students in each grade, seven grades in all, meaning there are about 420 students in the school at any given time. And you can't forget that that's only in England, there are other schools in other countries."

"Are you going to turn us into animals in our sleep?" Tamahome asked accusingly.

Nozomi looked at him like he was crazy. "No, Tamahome. You know, all throughout history, no matter where you go, magic has been feared because no one understands it. That is the fault of the magical government, they demand absolute secrecy. The truth is magic is like any other tool. In fact, you could say it's rather like the power of the emperor. In the hands of someone like Hotohori, who is a good, kind person with a strong sense of duty and honor, the country thrives. But, if someone else was emperor, perhaps someone who was a little more selfish, the country might not fare so well. The power of the emperor itself is not good or bad, it depends entirely on the person using it. Magic is the same."

"Have you ever used it against someone?" Tamahome questioned yet again.

"No, though I have desperately wanted to once or twice."

"What else do you want us to know? Other than you're a witch." Hotohori gently asked.

"Well, with your permission, this would be easier to show you." Hotohori indicated that that would be fine, and Nozomi stood up, walked backwards a little, and closed her eyes. Quick as a flash, something sprung from her back. A second later, when that something moved a little to each side, the two men could tell that it was two somethings, specifically; two large white wings had sprouted from the young girl's back. Wordlessly, Nozomi sat down again, and grabbed a nearby pitcher of water. Soaking her legs with it, the two men watched as a golden glow surrounded the lower half of her body. When it subsided; the girl's khaki pants were no longer there. Instead she had a deep red fish tail, one that matched her shirt flawlessly. Keeping her gaze to the floor, Nozomi explained. "This is odd even in the magical world. My father gave me the wings, and my mother the tail. She was a tropical mermaid, and he was a Draconian, a nearly extinct species named for their uncanny ability to kill dragons."

"How come you poured water on your legs?" Mostly Tamahome was desperately trying to cover his shock with this question, but he really was curious too.

"I don't have any control over when my tail makes an appearance. Once my legs are wet, they're no longer legs, and they change back when they're dry. It created some very tricky situations in school, especially around bath time."

"But why? I know you said it's odd in the magical world, but aren't those people used to odd things?"

"Well, here's the catch. Since I'm not fully human, it's technically not legal for me to own a wand, much less be trained in magic. If anyone but Albus Dumbledore had been headmaster, I would never have been accepted to Hogwarts."

"So, you had to hide everything you've just shown us from everyone? All 420 students in the school?" This incredulous question came from Hotohori.

"Yes, the students, and most of the teachers. Only three people knew about all of this, Professor Dumbledore of course, Professor McGonagall, and Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper."

Hotohori watched as she explained her odd heritage, watched as her face got sadder and sadder, suddenly he felt the loneliness the girl must have gone through in her life with such a secret. If he wasn't mistaken, it was quite like his own loneliness. His hope began to rise that she would be the one to cure it. Maybe, just maybe, they could cure each other.

"Nozomi," he interrupted, "will you become the Suzaku no Miko, and save Konan?"

She looked up with hope in her clear eyes. "You still want to ask that question?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, I still believe that Suzaku himself chose you to be his Miko, and I think he chose you for a reason. Will you save this country?"

Nozomi gave him the first real smile he had ever seen on her petite face. "Yes, I will. I just have one question. How do I gain the power of Suzaku?"

"You are already on your way. You must gather the seven warriors of Suzaku, identifiable by a glowing red character somewhere on their body."

"So that's why Tamahome has the character for Ogre on his forehead." She said as she turned to give Tamahome that same smile.

"Yes, and I too am a warrior of Suzaku." Pulling back some of the ruffles around his neck, Hotohori revealed a glowing star character. "Our destiny and duty is to protect the Suzaku no Miko as she travels to find the other warriors, and summon Suzaku."

"And how do I find the others? Do I get any clues?"

"Yes, there is a scroll in my office that gives clues on how to find all seven of the warriors. I took the liberty of looking up the next warrior on the list, and it was the character for palace and strength. With your permission, I will assemble all the warriors and guards in the palace tomorrow so we can sort through them."

"Sounds like you've thought this through pretty well."

"Thank you. Now that dinner's over, would you like to accompany me on a walk around the palace grounds? We have some beautiful gardens. Then the maids can show you to your room. Tamahome, you can join us if you wish."

"No thank you, Your Majesty. If you don't mind, I would like to go back to the city. I have some personal business I need to attend to." Actually the business could wait, but Tamahome knew when he wasn't wanted. And to the emperor at least, he would have been the fifth wheel, so to speak.

"Of course, your room will be ready for you when you get back. Nozomi, shall we?"

Slightly amused at how she hadn't really been given a say, even though it appeared like she had, Nozomi told Tamahome she'd see him later, slipped her hand through Hotohori's offered arm, and walked off with him.


	3. Love Unfolds

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros

Author Note: This chapter is dedicated to my very first reviewer! Anarya Of Lorien, thank you so much for your input! I've tried to make the paragraphs shorter for you. And I hope you like fluff, because that's what this chapter is. I'll come out with the next one soon, I just need to adjust a few things, and make sure there are no grammatical errors. Anyway, on with the story!

Love Unfolds

The gardens were beautiful, especially by the soft illumination of moonlight now scattered over the well-kept greenery. Flowers let off a subtle fragrance that drifted across Nozomi's eager nostrils, relaxing every muscle in her body. She always felt at home when she was away from the busy cities and the stresses of modern day life. In the backyard of her cabin, she had created a little haven of privacy for herself, much like the garden she and Hotohori were currently strolling through, only not nearly as well tended. Personally, she preferred to have it slightly overgrown and wild. All the same, she detached herself from Hotohori's arm to smell the various flowers.

Jogging toward another unusual flower she didn't know the name to, she surprised herself by nearly falling in a pond, unseen in the dim light. Instinctively it seemed, Hotohori was there to catch her almost as soon as she had begun to fall. Even though the light was too scarce to see the pond, she could clearly see Hotohori's smile at her enthusiasm. "Careful, the flowers will still be there, even if you walk instead of run."

Nozomi knew she sometimes got a little silly over nature, so she was perfectly able to laugh at herself. "I know, I was just excited. Beautiful gardens do that to me. But no harm was done; I had you to save me from falling."

Hotohori's smile turned more serious as he set her on her feet, and regretfully removed his hands from her waist. "And I will always be there to save you, just as you were there to save me today. How did you know what that man was going to do, by the way?"

"I had a very strong urge to get to the front of the crowd, so I could see better, I wanted to see you, to tell the truth. He was shaking so badly, I could tell something was wrong even without looking at him. When I did, I also saw that he had such a strong grip on his sword his knuckles were white. It was a lucky guess, really." She explained. How glad she was now that she had noticed and correctly interpreted the man's intentions. She was glad she got to meet Hotohori. But he wasn't the only one who was curious. "How long have you been emperor?"

Hotohori looked at her, not having expected the question. "Ever since I was 14."

"Both, or just your father?" she asked with concern. No one should have that much responsibility and pressure at that age.

"Just my father at first, but my mother is gone now too."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"Many, but none that I'm close to. All of them wanted to be emperor when father died, so the competition prevented any feelings of regard."

Nozomi could practically feel the loneliness surrounding him. Knowing what it's like, not having any family left, or none that would own you, anway, she wanted to cheer him up. She wanted him to know that it would be alright and that no matter how alone and lost he felt, there would always be people who could care for, and help him. Slowly she looked down, gently took both his hands in hers, and then looked straight into his golden brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hotohori. If it's any comfort at all, I'm sure both your parents would be proud of who and what you have become. Not only are you obviously an excellent emperor, but even a stranger like me can tell that you are the kind of person the rest of us strive to be, but never quite reach."

Hotohori was unspeakably touched by this little speech, and hardly knew what to say. So instead he asked another question about her. "What about you? What are your parents like?" Maybe he would find out from her what regular families were like. He had almost never seen his parents when they were alive, and when he had, his father was always distracted, and his mother was constantly ashamed of him.

"I never knew my parents. By the time I was three months old, both of them were dead. My father's closest friend took me in when they died and raised me. I grew up calling him Grandpa, because during his life, my father had looked up to him like he would a father." Even though Nozomi was keeping her voice pleasant and conversational, Hotohori could feel and sympathize with what it must have been like to grow up having never known your parents. "But, Grandpa always told me that they named me Nozomi, because I symbolized their hope for the future. I always liked that story. Especially since Grandpa always ended it by telling me that my parents loved each other and me very much." Those words were spoken with an inner contentment that surprised Hotohori.

Nozomi pulled out the small change purse she had shown Tamahome before. "I have a picture of them, would you like to see it?" Curiously, Hotohori nodded, and gently took the strange piece of paper Nozomi handed him from the black bag. On it was a portrait of a man and a woman, who were instantly recognizable as Nozomi's parents. She was a seamless blend of both their features. She had the straightness of her mother's hair, but the color of her father's. Her eyes and complexion were exactly like her mother's, but the shape of her face took after her father. Both of them looked like they were deeply in love, having that glow of radiance that only newlyweds seem to have.

"They look very happy." He said in response, while handing the picture back to her. As she slipped it back into her purse, she had a wistful smile on her face. She explained that yes, they were very happy when they were together. And her grandpa had always told her that as people, they were the best you could ever come across. He had only met her mother once, but had been immediately impressed with her kind and gentle nature.

Hotohori listened to her talk about the parents she never knew, but his attention was divided between what she was saying, and consciousness of the fact that she still held one of his hands.

They were both silent for a few minutes afterwards, each lost in their own thoughts. Seemingly by mutual unspoken consent, they had migrated to a bench overlooking the lake and sat down, still connected by the gentle touch of Nozomi's hand in his. Looking down at their intertwined hands, Nozomi quietly said, "If you ever want or need to talk to someone about anything, I'll always be willing to listen."

Slowly, Hotohori lifted a hand to brush a stray hair out of her face. Hotohori thought that he had never seen anyone look as beautiful as she did, sitting there with the moon creating a soft halo of light around her head, showing off her creamy complexion, and slender figure. Her eyes seemed to be pools of light, emitting a heartwarming glow all their own. More than ever now, Hotohori knew she was the one. The protectiveness he was feeling toward her was incredible, like nothing he had ever experienced before. He gave her a heartfelt thank you, and assured her that he would talk to her if he ever needed to. Why wouldn't he? It was the perfect opening for him to spend as much time with her as he liked. After looking at her intently for a few moments more, cherishing every second, he reluctantly remarked, "It is getting rather late, shall I show you to your room?"

She noticed the inconsistency from before, when he said the maid would do that, but choose not to comment on it now, instead she agreed immediately. She would much rather have Hotohori show her to her room than the maids anyway. And he was right; it was more than time for her to be getting to bed. That didn't mean she wanted to, though. She was too transfixed by the sight of his long black hair -finally released from that rather silly bucket hat he was forced to wear as a symbol of his exalted status - shining in the moonlight, his eyes looking more like sparkling gold than brown. The man was handsome, there was no denying it.

Standing up and stretching a bit, Nozomi released Hotohori's hand to again slip her arm through his. Retracing their steps through the beautiful garden, they walked along the perimeter of the palace, soon reaching a door that Hotohori stopped at. "This is your room. If you need anything, just wait for a guard to walk by, and they can direct you." Nozomi thanked him, and began to walk into her new room. "Nozomi," Hotohori's voice halted her progress. "Please don't be afraid to tell me if you need anything, no matter what time of day or night. The offer you made me goes for you too, if you ever feel like you need to talk, I will be very glad to listen. Goodnight."

Nozomi smiled at him, a truly grateful smile that spoke her thankfulness better than words, and bid him goodnight. Once her door was securely closed, as securely as you could close a shoji door anyway, Nozomi smiled to herself. Some instinct told her that if she allowed it, the handsome 18 year old could prove to be a big distraction to her duties here. That same instinct told her that as innocent and gentlemanly as he appeared, a distraction is exactly what he meant to be.


	4. The Third Warrior

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author Note: Yay! Another review! Silver Pain, thank you for reading and liking my story! I'm so happy! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. And as for an update with my rough draft, it is so far 58 pages in word. But as I said, it's a rough draft, so if you have any ideas about where this story should go, feel free to tell me, and I'll see if I can work it in.

The Third Warrior

Hotohori, Tamahome, and Nozomi were looking at dozens upon dozens of fierce looking palace guards, trying to decide how to figure out if one of these masculine macho men was a member of the Suzaku seven. Tamahome randomly decided that any member of the Suzaku seven would at least be able to hold his own against Tamahome himself, so he went out and tested his skills on the assembled men. Within minutes all were unconscious on the floor. Nozomi was having a hard time not laughing, while Hotohori was desperately trying to resist rolling his eyes. "Our purpose was not to see you show off, Tamahome." At that Nozomi couldn't resist, she did burst out laughing. All eyes turned to her.

"I'm sorry," she said between laughs, "I couldn't help myself, the tone of your voice, and the look on your face was priceless." Hastily getting herself under control, Nozomi spoke again. "Okay, my turn. It's my job to find these people anyway." Before anyone could stop her, she walked forward toward the now conscious warriors. "Alright gentlemen, let's test your skills. Attack me." Only silence greeted her words as the guards stared at her in amazement. Soon, the captain of the bunch spoke up.

"But, Miko-sama, we couldn't possibly attack you."

Nozomi arched an eyebrow. "Really? You were quick enough to point your spears at me yesterday." Immediately the entire assembly was on their knees, begging for forgiveness, and trying to explain their reasoning. "Whoa, it's okay, really, I understand, you were doing your jobs. You did a great job, so you can stand up now. And obviously there are no hard feelings, since I'm asking you to do it again."

"Miko-sama," the same guard pleaded, "we can't harm you, we just can't."

"How many men are present today?" Nozomi asked in a professional manner.

"55, Miko-sama."

"Are you telling me you're scared that one 18 year old girl is going to make a fool of 55 of your most highly trained and skilled guards?" She demanded in a challenging tone. The guard looked shocked at the implication, and stood up tall, with dignity and pride.

"Not at all, Miko-sama."

"Then attack me. Give me an ambush, everyone at once."

"Yes, Miko-sama." The guard said with steel in his voice and eyes. As Nozomi readied herself mentally for the attack, the order was issued for everyone to attack the young priestess. The other men were more than ready for the orders, as they had disliked the insinuations the young girl had made as much as their captain. Though she searched, she could not see any man that did not look angry. In her mind, if she could find the one person who would not attack her even if provoked, that meant she had found a person who felt an instinctive desire to protect her, in other words, the third warrior.

Trained as she was in armed vs. unarmed combat and simultaneous attacks from multiple directions, 55 to 1 soon proved to be odds she hadn't reached the level to handle. The guards closed in on her tighter and tighter, jabbing left and right with their spears, Nozomi was barely able to dodge all of them, but she hadn't been able to separate anyone from their weapon. When she got a little too claustrophobic, she leapt high above them, flipping in the air to land outside the circle of guards.

Trying to keep them from surrounding her like that again, she backed up as she defended. This was working a bit better, she was able to get weapons from some, but as she came under a gazebo that had been in her way, one of the frustrated guards in the back slung his weapon of choice, a sledgehammer, at her. Fortunately for Nozomi, sledgehammers aren't that accurate from that far away, so it didn't hit her. It did hit one of the poles supporting the gazebo, cracking it to little tiny pieces. The gazebo started to collapse, causing Hotohori to shout for Nozomi to move, quickly. She began to obey, but the gazebo gave way, coating everything in a fine cloud of dust. Both Hotohori and Tamahome had dived for her, but guards worried for their safety had prevented them from reaching the girl. When the dust settled, there was no sign of the priestess.

Hotohori rushed to the pile of rubble, starting to move some of the rocks, trying to get to where Nozomi had been standing only seconds before. Guards were instantly trying to pry him away, telling him it was dangerous, but he would hear none of it. Tamahome too, came over to help. Everyone was so absorbed in their efforts to unearth their priestess that no one noticed a handsome woman walk towards them.

"Perhaps you'll let me help with that." She said in a polite, pleasant voice. Without waiting for a response from anyone, she began to toss the largest pieces of rubble from the pile like she would toss clothes from her closet. When the mysterious woman had removed enough rubble to see the floor beneath, all they could see was one of Nozomi's shoes, but no foot inside. Just as they were about to express their confusion, they heard a groan come from the opposite side of the rubble.

Hastening around, Hotohori and Tamahome let out sighs of relief when they saw Nozomi laying there, her left leg still in the rubble, and a great big bump on her head. They hadn't been able to see her before, because the rubble had hidden her from view. She'd obviously been knocked unconscious by a stray chunk, and was now beginning to stir.

Wordlessly, the mysterious woman from before walked around, and began to free the newly discovered Miko. Once that had been accomplished, Hotohori carried her to the palace doctors himself, who had been called to the location out of guilt by the guard who had caused this whole mess.

"What happened?" Nozomi asked in a groggy voice once she had fully regained consciousness.

"You managed to avoid most of the rubble, but your leg got caught, spraining your ankle and breaking your leg, and you got a nasty bump on your head." Hotohori explained gently, while stroking Nozomi's hair. It was softer than he'd expected, it almost felt like silk. Nozomi looked over at the mess that used to be a gazebo. People were surrounding it, which prevented her from doing what she wanted to. On the other hand though, it might be a good idea to ask Hotohori first if she could.

"Would it scare people if I did a little magic right now?" She asked him, her voice getting slightly stronger.

"Probably not, I have explained that it's normal in your world." Hotohori was interested in what she meant to do with her magic. "Are you going to heal your wounds?" he asked.

"No, unfortunately healing magic is one of the things I'm not very good at. If you're not very careful, you could end up removing body parts instead of fixing them, and since I don't have any Skele-gro on me, that's not a very good idea. I'm leaving that to the experts. Could you ask people to move away from the rubble, please?"

Now having a pretty good idea of what Nozomi was going to do, though none at all about what she meant by Skele-gro, Hotohori did what she asked. Pulling out her wand, Nozomi pointed at the rubble and said, "Reparo." Magically, all the rubble seamlessly reattached itself in the correct position, if it wasn't for her own injuries, it would have been like this little incident never happened. Tamahome looked confused for a minute, until he looked over and saw the wand in Nozomi's hand.

"Hey Nozomi, I'm finally seeing the usefulness of magic! That was pretty cool!"

Nozomi laughed as much as she was able. "Thanks Tamahome. It is pretty nice not to have to pay for repairs at home, or have to deal with repairmen." Hotohori noticed her continued weakness and fatigue with concern. He tried to escort her to her room for some rest, but she wouldn't hear anything of it. She wanted to go meet the woman who had moved all that rubble. So instead Hotohori helped her hobble over to the tall woman, now standing regally to the side, looking condescendingly at them all. "I wanted to thank you for saving me. My name is Nozomi Elendi. What's yours?"

The woman looked arrogantly down at her. If she didn't have such a large scowl on her face, she'd be quite beautiful. Long lavender hair most women would kill for, a pretty face, clear complexion except for a small mole under her left eye, and she certainly knew what colors looked good on her, she was impeccably dressed. "I didn't do it for you, you know."

"I would still like to thank you, though, for whatever reasons you did it. Am I allowed to know who to thank?"

Still looking down on the strange girl in contempt, the woman grudgingly answered, "Korin. My name is Korin."

"Thank you, Korin, for saving me. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I told you, I didn't do it for you, so I don't want your thanks or your favors." The woman scowled even more at the mere idea, and put a slight emphasis on the word favors.

At this point, Hotohori interrupted. Korin was giving off such antagonistic vibes that even he was affected by them. She really did not like Nozomi, apparently, though what triggered that at such a short acquaintance was beyond him. That wasn't his concern right now, however. "That strength, is it possible that you are…" Hotohori drifted off as he saw a red glow below her collarbone. Without thinking, he reached out for the collar of her kimono, only collecting himself when she asked him what he was doing, in the politest and sweetest voice, of course. Quickly putting his hand back, he explained a bit better.

"Oh, this?" She asked coyly. She pulled back her collar ever so slightly, revealing the character for willow glowing happily in a vibrant shade of red. "My name is Korin, but I am also known as the Suzaku warrior Nuriko."

"Really?" Nozomi asked excitedly. It looked to everyone like she'd gotten some energy back from the discovery of a new warrior. "That's wonderful!" she turned to where the first warrior was still inspecting the gazebo and shouted, "Tamahome, get over here!" Turning back to Nuriko, she said, "Including you, we've now found three warriors. This is Hotohori, of course, and this is Tamahome." Tamahome had joined them by that point. "Tamahome, meet fellow Suzaku warrior, Nuriko." Tamahome bowed to Nuriko politely, but instead of following his excellent example, she turned her back on them all, and walked off. Hotohori tried to call her back, but Nozomi stopped him.

"She doesn't want to talk to us right now. She doesn't like me, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with me. I think she needs a little time to cool off. Do you know what part of the palace she comes from?"

"Well, she's probably from my harem, but I don't know for sure." Hotohori admitted. At that Nozomi turned to a nearby guard and asked him if he knew. He confirmed that Lady Korin was indeed a member of his majesty's harem. Once the guard had gone back to poking and prodding the gazebo, Nozomi turned to her two warriors that were on speaking terms with her.

"That's why she doesn't like me, I'd bet money I don't have on it." Both men looked confused. In explanation she asked Hotohori, "Your harem is full of prospective brides?" He answered that yes, the most beautiful women in Konan were brought to his harem for him to choose from. "How often do you visit?" In response Hotohori instantly said,

"I don't even know where it is."

"There's your answer right there." The two men still looked confused as only straight men are when confronted with the workings of the feminine mind. Attempting to be patient, Nozomi elaborated.

"I'm betting all the women in your harem, for one reason or another, want to marry you, yet you've never gone in to see any of them. I come, and that very day I get to have dinner with you, and the next day I'm seen by your side almost constantly. To the women in your harem, that's like a slap in the face, especially since most of them are probably far better looking than I am, with better manners, and are better suited to be empress." Still they looked confused, especially Tamahome. Hotohori mostly looked upset at the way she represented the situation. Sighing, Nozomi reduced it down even more. "Let's just say that she's angry that I get to spend so much time with Hotohori, and leave it at that."

"But if she agreed to work as a warrior, she could too." Tamahome was obviously not seeing the feminine logic.

Nozomi was developing a grand headache by now, and was anxious to get away to be by herself for a while. "Women are not always logical, Tamahome. Right now she can't stand the sight of me, so she walks away."

As she continued to explain, Nozomi started going slightly pale, and was leaning more and more on Hotohori for support, another thing that would probably drive Nuriko nuts, she thought ironically. She was very grateful though, when Hotohori apparently noticed her increased discomfort and said, "Enough talking, the doctors said you need rest, so you're going to your room now." Without waiting for any objections, he lifted her up bridal style and started carrying her to her room.

'Oh yeah, this is the way to appease Nuriko.' Nozomi thought sarcastically. Honestly, men never listen to a word women say. She couldn't deny that it felt nice, however, to have someone take care of her again. She hadn't had that in a long time, and it was a nice change. So she decided to put Nuriko's reaction out of her head, and enjoy the ride. She relaxed in his arms, and slid her arms around his neck to help hold her up, no point in having him do all the work. Even when her grandpa was alive, he hadn't pampered her like this. He gave her the tools she needed to deal with a situation on her own. She'd always liked that approach, especially after he died, and she basically had to fend for herself.

Hotohori loved the feeling of having the small girl in his arms. At first she seemed a little tense, but after a few moments, she relaxed, and slid her arms around his neck, causing an almost unnoticeable blush to creep into his cheeks. This was undoubtedly a memory he would cherish for a long time. She rested her head against his chest, right over his heart. He almost wished she wouldn't have, because now she could certainly hear how it was beating. And of course his nervousness on the subject only increased its frantic pace.

"If you get tired, you can always put me down. You certainly don't have to carry me the whole way."

Relief passed through him. She'd misinterpreted the reason behind his frantically beating heart. "I will most certainly not allow you to walk. I can manage to carry you to your room, and then we both can rest."

Hotohori insisted on placing her in bed, instead of in a chair, or better yet in Nozomi's mind, letting her hobble there on her own. She was more tired than she realized, though, since almost as soon as he set her down, her eyelids started getting unbearably heavy, and she drifted peacefully off to sleep. Hotohori would have liked to spend all day beside her, but before five minutes had gone by, an advisor called through the door that there was official business that required his majesty's attention. Sighing in resignation, Hotohori stood up, took one last look at the sleeping Miko, and walked out to another boring meeting about how he needed an empress.


	5. Escape to the City

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author Note: I'm sorry the first chapters have been changing so much, but I hope the changes are for the better. I get suggestions from reviewers (THANK YOU!) that made me realize a certain section is all wrong, and I have to rewrite it. But that's why reviews are great, isn't it?

Escape to the City

By the next day Nozomi was sick of bed rest, and was bound and determined to get out of her room. Conjuring a couple of crutches, she boldly marched as well as she could up to her door, and hobbled out with a commanding, determined air. No one was going to stop her this time, she was going out to the gardens at the very least, maybe even out of the palace, depending how many people annoyed her. She wouldn't stop for anything.

"Miko-sama." Two guards stationed outside her door had grabbed an arm each, and were now gently guiding/carrying her back to her room.

"But I'm staying off my foot, look, I have crutches." She complained, not for the first time. After being on her own for so long, this kind of restriction was hard for her to deal with.

"We're sorry, Miko-sama, but his Highness gave us strict instructions not to let you out of your room. You need to get well, and you can't do that if you're up and about."

Sighing, Nozomi allowed herself to be plopped back down on her bed. They were just doing their jobs, after all. It wouldn't be fair to take out her frustrations on them. And Hotohori couldn't be blamed either, he was just taking the doctor's orders a little too literally. Obviously he hadn't yet learned that doctors are always over cautious.

After the guards left, even if it was only as far as to the other side of her door, she still sat like a good girl for a few minutes. Not quite like a good girl, though, she was coming up with a plan to get out of there. If she didn't they might as well pad the walls, because she was heading straight for the loony bin. But, she had an idea…

Nuriko and Tamahome were walking around the city. Tamahome wasn't crazy about Nuriko's attendance, but she had insisted in a way not to be denied. She can really twist your arm if she wants to, literally. As usual, Tamahome was looking for various ways to earn money. Nuriko on the other hand, was taking full advantage of being released from the harem to explore.

She'd always wanted to explore the capital more, and here was her chance, with a handsome escort in the bargain. The only disadvantage was that Tamahome was obviously not interested in shopping. All he wanted to do was look for work. One word on that, boring! So, she decided to go on her own little expedition.

Disengaging herself from the blue-haired money-grubber, she sidetracked along an alleyway while he was busy talking to a potential customer. She didn't go any further down the alley than the entrance, she was a little streetwise, after all, but she waited there until Tamahome was out of her sight, and then started off the way they had come.

She was having a grand time, looking at expensive jewelry, lengths of silk, and tasty looking food. She could get any of this at the palace, but it was so much more fun when you went shopping for it yourself.

Walking along still further, she wasn't paying much attention to where she was going. The crowd had gotten even thicker, though that was hard to imagine with how tightly they were packed into the narrow street, and she had gotten pushed closer and closer to the edge. Finally one man pushed her into yet another alleyway. Fully intending on giving this arrogant chauvinist a piece of her mind, Nuriko started forward, coming to a complete halt when she was knocked unconscious from behind.

Nozomi had escaped the confines of her room by making herself invisible. It was actually a camouflage spell, but it was close enough for her purposes. She had written a note, explaining that she was sorry for causing trouble, but if she stayed in that room any longer she would be in an unfit mental condition to be their priestess.

When the guards opened her door to deliver her lunch, she snuck out. She knew that Tamahome and Nuriko had gone out on the town, so she thought she'd try to find them. It wouldn't be easy, but she had the advantage of wings, so she had a topographical view. Nuriko's hair should be easier to spot than anything else, not many people had lavender hair.

Guessing that someone as feminine as Nuriko would head for the shopping, that's where Nozomi decided to go. She got to the marketplace where she had stumbled upon the parade for Hotohori, but she couldn't see any sign of either one of her warriors. A little worried now, she widened her search.

She was just starting to get concerned, for she hadn't seen the woman heading back to the palace when she flew by, when she spotted a group of sinister-looking men crowded at the very back of an alley. Remembering her own similar experience, Nozomi flew over to take a look.

"She's a fine one, isn't she? Maybe we should taste a little before we sell her?" One of them sneered.

"You read my mind, buddy. Whadda say, boss?" His obviously perverted friend turned to the 'boss', hope evident in his face. Listening to these creeps was giving Nozomi the chills, and making her skin crawl. Edging around the men, still camouflaged so they wouldn't notice her, she looked at the woman they were talking about and gasped. Somehow, Suzaku only knew how, they'd gotten Nuriko unconscious and tied up.

"Sure, one taste for each of you. I go first." The boss declared. As the men edged closer to Nuriko, Nozomi knew she had to do something, even if she was injured. Standing in front of the unconscious woman, Nozomi reappeared for all to see, a pissed off expression firmly set into her face.

"No one touches her." Getting over their surprise and shock as quickly as they could, the men sneered at her, almost like they were thinking she was going to be their next treat.

"And what are you going to do to stop us, young lady? Besides, looks like you're having a little problem with your leg. There are 7 of us, to one of you. You don't have a chance."

"Maybe you're right, but I can't let you touch her." As she spoke, two of the men adjusted themselves so they could see her better. She recognized them immediately, and apparently they did too.

"Hey, we know you. You're the wench that gave us a hard time before. And this time that weird guy isn't here to save you."

"Even if he isn't, I don't need him to beat all of you, even with an injured leg." She declared, far more bravely than she felt.

"You wouldn't attack us before, so now that we have more people, you shouldn't be a problem." They closed in around her even tighter. Hating to fight, but knowing she wouldn't have a chance of protecting Nuriko if she didn't, she spoke with venom in her tone.

"I think in your case, I'll make an exception." That said, she took her left crutch, and hit the man in the head with all the force she could muster. He at least went down like a sack of potatoes. Now she only had six to worry about instead of seven. From the instant the man hit the ground; all hell broke loose among his comrades. The fight began, with Nozomi doing everything she could think of to keep the potential rapists away from Nuriko. They came at her with all their skill of martial arts, and she was improvising as she went, using her crutches as swords and battering rams.

Soon they got so close she couldn't maneuver them anymore, and flung them to one side. After that she looked like something out of a karate kid movie, one leg in the air, with the other one balancing all her weight. She got a few awkward kicks and punches in that way, but her advantage was over. The men knew they had won, and were now fiddling with her clothes. Nozomi had never felt so violated in her entire life, but there really wasn't much she could do about it, she couldn't even reach her wand right now, they had pinned her arms and right leg down. So, she did the only thing left that she could think of, even though it would probably bring her more pain than her captors.

She brought her left knee up into a man's groin, causing him to double over in pain. As all men tend to do, they seemed to feel their comrade's pain, even though they had not personally been hit. Their grip on Nozomi lessened, and she wrenched out of their grasp, grabbed Nuriko, and flew high over everyone, camouflaging the two of them before takeoff.

The pain in Nozomi's leg was incredible; she was hanging on to consciousness by the merest thread, so she concentrated on the one thing that was bugging her about her companion. She seemed to be missing certain body parts usually considered essential to females. Nozomi had her arm around Nuriko's waist, with her chest pressed against Nozomi's side.

That was the problem, however. Her _chest_ was pressing against Nozomi's side, not her _breasts_. It seemed that Nozomi had not found a female warrior, but yet another male one. She shrugged mentally; a gay friend was pretty close to a female friend. If she could get Nuriko to like her, that is.

'That's one problem I don't know how to solve. Nuriko doesn't like me because of my friendship with Hotohori. But I'm not going to snub him just to gain Nuriko's loyalty. That's not the way it's supposed to work. If Nuriko doesn't like my personality, there isn't much I can do, but Nuriko doesn't even know me. If she'd, correction, _he'd_, just give me a chance, he might like me better. But how?'

By this time, Nozomi's vision was almost completely gone, she could barely see the ground below her, and she felt so weak, she didn't know how much further she could carry both her body weight and Nuriko's. Her flight pattern was already getting erratic, as she fought for strength to stay airborne. She knew she should be getting close to the palace by now, but she couldn't see it, and the situation wouldn't get any better. In this state, she could easily fly right by the palace, and never know. Assuming, of course, that she could make it that far. She needed to borrow someone else's eyes. Gently trying to wake the unconscious warrior in her arms, she tried calling his name, urgency apparent in her tone.

"Nuriko! Nuriko!" The young man felt like he was floating, it was the most incredible feeling, like he was weightless, and a gentle breeze caressed his face and hair. But someone was calling him in the far distance, by a name he hadn't heard in a long time. That voice seemed to be bringing him to the world of pain, the world where this wonderful feeling of bliss didn't exist. Resisting, Nuriko closed his eyes against the bright afternoon sun. But it was no use, he was awake, with a pounding throb in his head, and an unnaturally hot body pressed against his. Huh? That wasn't right. And the gentle breeze from his dream was still there.

Reluctantly opening his eyes just a crack, Nuriko saw that he was airborne, and the unnaturally hot body was Nozomi's, carrying him with one arm wrapped around his waist. Looking up, he saw that somehow Nozomi had sprouted a lovely pair of white wings. Starting to freak out a little, Nuriko tried squirming, forgetting for a moment how high they were.

"Please, Nuriko! Be still, it's hard enough for me to carry you! I promise when we get back to the palace, I'll answer all your questions, but for right now I need you to do us both a favor. I can't see anything; I need you to tell me where to go."

"What do you mean, you can't see anything?"

"I'm on the verge of fainting, so I need you to tell me when we can land at the palace. I really need your help, Nuriko."

Hearing the urgency and the desperation in her rather breathless tone, Nuriko realized that this was one of those times when you had to put your differences aside and work together. "We're above the palace right now. Why don't I direct you to one of the gardens, then I can carry you to your rooms."

"Are you in good enough shape? I haven't had time to look over you for any injuries except the bump on your head. Do you feel pain anywhere else?"

"No, I'm fine; I'm not the one that can't see a thing. Now, start slowing down, and flying towards the ground." So, a little unnerved that she didn't know how quickly the ground was coming upon her, but very glad she had Nuriko with her, Nozomi did as he bid, adjusting according to his directions occasionally. "The ground is getting closer now." Nuriko warned from her right side. So Nozomi made a slightly awkward landing.

"Hold still," she told Nuriko rather breathlessly, "Your hands and legs are still tied, I'll untie them." Feeling around blindly, Nozomi fumbled with the bonds until Nuriko was free.

"Right, let's get you to your room." Nuriko looked at the young priestess, only to find empty air. Looking down, she saw Nozomi, pale and lifeless upon the ground. "Nozomi?" Swiftly, Nuriko bent down to check to make sure she was still breathing, once he was reassured on that score, he scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way bridal style.

Nuriko placed the still unconscious Miko on her bed, mentally laughing at the fact that Nozomi slept with her mouth wide open. Back in the garden they hadn't gone two steps before Nuriko was surrounded by worried guards, asking questions and volunteering the information that the emperor was worried out of his mind, apparently she had left a note, but no one had been able to read it.

Instead of answering their questions, Nuriko had sent them off to tell Hotohori that Nozomi was back. In spite of all his efforts, Nuriko had to admire the way Nozomi had handled the situation back there. Judging by the pallor in her face, only her stubborn nature had kept her from collapsing long before they reached the palace. He wanted her to wake up before everyone came though, so he could hear what the heck happened. Knowing Hotohori, he would run the whole way, and could arrive any minute.

Taking matters into his own hands, Nuriko poked Nozomi awake. Her eyes fluttered open, though no other muscle moved. Quite frankly, she still looked far too weak to move.

"You promised me answers, so I'd like some. What happened? The last thing I remember before being airborne with you, which is going to need explaining next, by the way, is being hit over the head from behind after some jerk pushed me into an alley."

Nozomi told Nuriko all she had seen, gliding over some of the things she had had to do to her injured leg, and not mentioning Nuriko's manliness at all. Seeing the unasked question in Nuriko's eyes, Nozomi quickly moved on to explain about her wings and tail. Though Nuriko had never heard anything more extraordinary in his life, he had seen it with his own eyes, and had many questions, but he heard voices approaching, and knew that his time alone with Nozomi was short.

"One more thing, how out of it were you while you were flying?"

"I was concentrating on anything I could to keep my mind off of how close I was to losing consciousness." Nozomi thought she knew what Nuriko was getting at, and wanted to reassure her. "But I didn't notice anything about you other than the bump on your head."

Nozomi looked at her meaningfully, and when Nuriko reciprocated that look, a beam of understanding shot between them. Smiling a little, Nozomi continued speaking, "And I'm no doctor, so you might want to have it looked at, but I don't think it's any worse than my head was yesterday, so you'll probably just have a killer headache for the rest of today, but you should be fine."

The door burst open with such force the whole room shook slightly. Framed in the entryway was Hotohori, concern radiating from every feature. Rushing toward the bed, he gently stroked Nozomi's hair, asking in a soothing voice if she was alright. Still smiling weakly, she assured him that she was fine, just a little tired. "I was so worried. Anything could have happened to you out there. You could have hurt yourself even more, and…wait, where are your crutches?" A worried expression settled even more firmly on his handsome features, alarm radiating out of his golden eyes.

Shamefacedly, Nozomi tried to tell the truth, without actually telling him what happened in the alleyway. "I got to a part of the marketplace that was so crowded; they accidentally got knocked out of my hands. They could be anywhere in the city right now. I tried to come back to the palace, but with all those people around, I couldn't bring out my wings, and I couldn't hop very well, I soon got pretty weak and tired. That's when Nuriko came along and carried me here."

As Hotohori looked at Nuriko with thankfulness written in every line of his beautiful face, he tried not to look too surprised by this version of events, but instead, pleased with how everything turned out.

'Why didn't Nozomi milk this for all it's worth? If she had told the complete truth, she would have been a right little hero, but instead, she made it seem like I'm the hero.'

Nuriko was too puzzled over this to even be jealous that Hotohori was once again hovering over Nozomi like she was his primary concern. When Hotohori stepped outside to order one of the guards to send for the palace doctor, Nuriko took advantage of the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"Well, you weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of everyone knowing that you were hit from behind by a bunch of punk slave traders, were you? I was going to promise you that I wouldn't tell anyone, but I didn't get the chance, so I promise you now, I won't tell anyone about it."

This was not what Nuriko wanted to hear, because even though he was still jealous of her, this statement forced him to admit that at least one characteristic about her demanded respect. Not that he was going to admit it, but some of the walls of antagonism that he had built up against her melted away.

Hotohori reentered, immediately returning to his previous position next to Nozomi's head. Not wanting to see the two play lovers anymore, for even with his newly found respect for the girl, he was still insanely jealous, Nuriko excused himself to return to his rooms. Once they were alone, Hotohori asked the question he had been dying to ask ever since he heard that it was Nuriko who had brought Nozomi in after her collapse.

"Nozomi, do you think Nuriko's opinion of you has changed at all?"

"Well, no punches were thrown, if that's what you're asking." Nozomi responded with a small smile. "But no, I don't think her opinion of me has improved any. We didn't really spend much time together out there anyway."

"I could always order her to-"

"Oh no, Hotohori. If Nuriko is going to agree to protect me as a warrior of Suzaku, she has to do it of her own volition. I won't have her forced into anything. But thank you for the offer, I'll take it in the spirit it was meant." The door opened yet again, only this time much more gently, as it was the doctor coming in to look at the patient.

Once there, the doctor made quick work of his examination. Even so, by the time he had finished, Nozomi had drifted off to sleep again. It didn't take him long to say that the young priestess had aggravated the break in her leg somehow. Hotohori asked if hopping from place to place was what caused it, but the doctor shook his head.

"No, your majesty, she would have to do something far worse to it to cause this much damage. She would have had to hop on her broken leg to cause this. What did she say happened in the city again?"

"She wandered through the crowds; they got so thick she lost her grip on her crutches, and hopped for a little ways before Nuriko carried her back to the palace."

"My professional opinion, sir, she's not telling you something. There is no possibility that wandering through the city could cause her present discomfort."

Once again, Hotohori looked at the unconscious Miko. 'She's not telling me something? But why not? Doesn't she trust me? Or does she not want me to worry? Now I'm just more worried than ever. Oh Nozomi, what really happened to you out there?' A million and one questions were racing through his head. Gently he grasped her hand, much like she had taken hold of his that night in the garden.

"You said I could talk to you about anything I needed to, Nozomi. I returned the offer. So why won't you talk to me now? I care about you far more than I have admitted to, I would do anything to protect you, and I am destined to protect you. If anything or anyone is plaguing you, I want to know." Thinking he was talking to an unconscious person, his surprise was great when Nozomi's sweet voice answered him.

"I promise you, Hotohori, no one is plaguing me. It's true that I left some details out before, but that is because I promised someone I wouldn't tell. I'm sorry if you're worried about me, I certainly never wanted to cause you any more anxiety. Forgive me?"

Looking into her beautiful face, Hotohori did forgive her. She caused him more pain than he would admit, but he forgave her completely. "You won't tell me what happened?" he asked a little sadly.

Reaching up to cup his face in her hand, Nozomi tried to console him. "No, I'm afraid not, I can't go back on my promise. But, if you'll let me go out into the gardens once in a while, I will promise you not to go into the city without an escort again."

"And not at all while you're injured?" Hotohori added. Smiling, Nozomi agreed.

"You have my word, and I never go back on my word." Reassured, Hotohori leaned in to Nozomi's touch.

"I was worried about you. More worried than I have ever been before. There is one thing I would like to tell you…" But whatever he wanted to tell Nozomi, we shall never know, as Tamahome chose that minute to burst into the room, Nozomi's crutches in hand, looking for the bed-ridden Miko.

"There you are! I was worried sick! I get this feeling like you need help, I follow my instincts to this alley, and what do I see but a bunch of ticked off slave traders and your crutches on the ground!" Suddenly Nozomi seemed to find her bedspread intensely interesting. Trying hard, and completely failing, to look innocent, she replied,

"Um…I'm sorry?" Tamahome looked ready to explode at her, but before he could get out half of the indignant things he wanted to say, Hotohori interrupted.

"Tamahome, Nozomi needs her rest, why don't you and I talk outside? Leave her crutches at the door." Outwardly he was calm, but inside he had an indefinable sense of dread and fear, residing deep inside his gut. Once out of earshot from any prying eyes and ears, Hotohori resumed their conversation. "Did you talk to the slave traders?"

"Yeah. They were ticked because they'd captured an impeccably dressed woman, and were just deciding who got to rape her first, when a strange lady with an injured leg and crutches came along, and refused to let them touch the other woman. They fought, and the slave traders were about to win when both women disappeared. That's what they were so upset about."

Thinking for a moment, Hotohori asked, "Tamahome, was Nuriko with you at the time?"

"No, she wasn't. She'd slipped away about an hour before. Sounds like them, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. And the doctor did say that he thought Nozomi was hiding something, as her account of events did not explain the increased injury to her leg. I think fighting off slave traders explains it quite well."

"Why didn't she tell you what happened?"

"She said she'd promised someone she wouldn't." They pondered that for a moment.

"Nuriko." They said at the same time. "It has to be." Tamahome added. "Should we go talk to her about it?"

"No," Hotohori said upon reflection, "that might hurt whatever progress Nozomi has made in Nuriko's esteem. If we confront her on it, she might think Nozomi told us."

"Okay, you got it, not a word. But I'd like to go see Nozomi now, see for myself that she's alright." And with that, Tamahome sprinted off in the direction of Nozomi's room. Hotohori hated to see him go to be alone with the priestess, while he had to go off to imperial duties, but it was the way of life.


	6. Take Charge, Nozomi!

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author's Note: Well, my rough draft is now a monstrous 63 pages. I think I need more road blocks along the journey, though. I think Nozomi and the others are having far too easy of a time collecting warriors. What do you readers think about introducing Nakago far earlier than anticipated? (insert evil laugh of choice here) I also tried putting thoughts in italics. Let me know if this makes it easier for you.

Take Charge, Nozomi!

Quietly, Tamahome slipped into Nozomi's room, hoping not to disturb her if she was asleep. He didn't need to bother, however, as Nozomi had been waiting for him to come back. Opening her eyes, she asked in an utterly calm voice, "Did you have fun in the marketplace?"

Laughing a little Tamahome replied, "Well, until I got worried about you, then yes, I did have a good time in the market."

"I'm sorry I made you worry Tamahome. I'm assuming Hotohori told you why I haven't said anything about what happened out there."

"Yes, he said you promised someone you wouldn't tell. I want to know why." Tamahome looked earnestly into Nozomi's eyes, a serious look residing there.

Just as seriously, Nozomi looked in his eyes and said, "I knew this person would be embarrassed, so I promised that I wouldn't let anyone know. But, I have also promised Hotohori that I won't go out into the city ever again without an escort, and not at all while I'm injured. Does that help with your worrying?"

"Yeah, it does a little." Tamahome still didn't seem quite satisfied though, so Nozomi decided to change the subject.

"Tamahome, thank you for worrying. I'm sorry I made you worry, but it was sweet of you to worry about someone you just met three days ago."

Shrugging off the compliment, Tamahome huffed. "I am supposed to protect you, after all."

Smiling at him, Nozomi insisted that didn't mean he had to. She also offered him some of her money from the magical world. She figured that even though it wasn't money generally used here, it was gold, and therefore probably of some value. Eagerly, Tamahome accepted. He could sell it for an outlandish price, why wouldn't he?

After that, Nozomi and Tamahome had a lovely little chat, until Nozomi was so tired and worn out from the pain that she physically couldn't say awake any longer. She told him about the writing on the Galleon she had given him, told him a little about life in Japan compared to life in England, and demonstrated to him the power of her Discman. He was quite fascinated with it, and tried to steal it, though came back when Nozomi good naturedly threatened to disembowel him if he didn't give it back.

True to her word, Nozomi wandered around the palace grounds with the aid of her crutches, and never again tried to set foot in the city while her leg was still healing. Quite often, she would sit down on the soft grass surrounding a lake in one of the gardens. It was a lovely spot to think and be alone.

'_Of course, I'm not always alone on these walks'_ Nozomi thought._ 'Nuriko usually joins me on my strolls through the gardens. He always makes fun of me, but now it's more like the teasing I'd get from an older sibling.'_ Something had changed behind the insults, and it made Nozomi very happy.

The first time Nuriko insulted her after their alleyway adventure; Nozomi lit up and gave Nuriko a bear hug, declaring, "You _do_ love me!" To which Nuriko responded with another insult, something about Nozomi's lack of intelligence. Nozomi just snuck in beside Nuriko and laughed, preparing for a lovely little walk. That memory made Nozomi laugh under her breath. _'I'm sure smiling a lot more these days. Rose would be proud of me.' _

'_I see Hotohori a lot as well, never for very long, though. I think his advisors get frustrated with it, actually. They can hardly blame him for wanting some time to himself; they pester him night and day. Either that or they don't approve of me as a companion. Maybe they think I'll be a bad influence._' Again Nozomi let out a small laugh. _'They're probably right, considering what I have planned in case they make a fuss about him coming with us when we find the rest of the warriors. But I will not let them cheat him of something he wants so badly.'_

Speaking of Hotohori, she could see him coming now. Since he was glancing back over his shoulder, she figured he was making a real effort to avoid his advisors. "It's safe. I haven't seen anyone around here except a random maid 15 minutes ago."

"Oh, Nozomi, I didn't know you were here. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"Not at all. I just like being outside. You're more than welcome to join me anytime."

"I thought Tamahome would be with you, one of the guards said you were together."

"That was this morning. He left right after lunch. He never stays around the palace long. He's usually out in the city, looking for ways to make money, or on some personal business of his own. I asked him one time why he was gone so much,but he just gave me some lecture on how money's important. Eventually I'm going to have to satisfy my curiosity, but for now I'll accept the fact that Tamahome doesn't want to tell me." _'He's another big brother figure, though I'd never tell him that. He might get a big head.'_

"So what have you been thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"You were obviously thinking something very pleasant when I came up. I was just wondering what it was. You don't have to tell me, of course. I was just curious."

"I was just thinking about this world. It's very strange, but in only a few days here, I feel more at home than I did after 18 years in my world."

"Your Majesty!"

Both Nozomi and Hotohori internally swore. They'd found him. Nozomi gave Hotohori a sympathetic smile. "I'd suggest escaping through the lake, but I'm afraid that when my leg is broken, so is my tail. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. But thank you for the thought."

"No problem. And there's always next time, eh?"

Hotohori smiled at her. "Yes, there's always next time."

"Your Majesty, you really shouldn't run off like this. You need to sign some of these new papers…"

Nozomi watched as poor Hotohori was almost literally drug back to his position at the palace by an over zealous advisor. _'Keh. More like drill sergeant. Who wants to work all day? Hotohori needs a break from those clowns.'_ As she sat there, staring at the tranquil lake, she tried to concentrate on anything but the feeling of emptiness that always came when Hotohori left.

She tried not to think about that feeling too much, but when she was bed-ridden most of the time, and trapped within the palace grounds, it was hard not to dwell on it. And due to Nuriko's more than obvious feelings, Nozomi definitely did _not_ want to think about what his eyes did to her heart and stomach. She was far too afraid of what she might find there.

In spite of all that, however, she found herself wishing for his company more and more. Tamahome and Nuriko were great, and she always enjoyed herself when she was with them, but she never felt the need for their presence like she did Hotohori's.

She wouldn't admit, even to herself, that she sat by that particular lake because it was close to his quarters. When Nuriko confronted her about it, she faked ignorance.

When she was well enough to sit up instead of lay down all day, she stayed with Hotohori while he worked, just enjoying being in the same room. Sometimes she read the books she had obtained from the library, now profusely glad she had gotten three, and sometimes she would just lean back and watch his features change expression every few minutes, in response to whatever proposal he was reading.

Finally, she was healed enough for even Hotohori to agree that she could commence looking for the remaining four warriors. When she was informed of this, Nozomi was ecstatic. "Great! When do we leave?" She asked with a huge smile on her face.

Hotohori smiled at her enthusiasm. She had such energy now. When she first came, it was as if she was hiding her emotions from the world, or just afraid to get close to anyone. Now, she was like a small child on her birthday. The change was amazing, and he loved every bit of it, every bit of her.

He had tried to tell her that for the past few weeks while she was healing, but every time, without fail, someone would interrupt. Usually it was one of his ever present advisors, but occasionally it had been Nuriko or Tamahome. Normally he would have let them know that they were not welcome at that particular time, as much as he liked his fellow warriors, but Nozomi took whole hearted pleasure in their company as well as his.

"We set out tomorrow morning, so get anything you need ready." He answered with a smile.

"Excuse me, your Majesty." An advisor came forward. "What do you mean 'we'? Surely you are not thinking of accompanying them? Konan needs you."

Before Hotohori could respond, Nozomi stepped in. "Yes, Konan does need him." Hotohori stared at her in shock, how could she wish him to remain behind after all those talks they had? "But right now they need him more as one of the seven legendary warriors than they do as an emperor. Surely you are capable of doing without him for a few weeks?"

"But…Miko-sama…we're in the middle of a war with Kutou, we need our emperor to make the decisions."

Nozomi tried extremely hard not to visibly sigh. "What is your name, sir?" she asked with the utmost politeness her grandpa had taught her all those years ago. You do catch more flies with honey than vinegar, after all.

"Tong Shen-tian, Miko-sama." The advisor was clearly nervous at being addressed by the woman of legend. Nozomi continued to be extra polite, though it did not help diminish the advisor's nervousness.

"Well Tong Shen-tian, you seem like a highly intelligent young man. Don't you agree then, that even though Hotohori has his duties to Konan as emperor, he also has a duty to them as a chosen warrior of Suzaku?"

"Yes, that is true." He was still nervous, and it was clear as a bell.

"He has been performing his duties as emperor without fail for four years now. Now the time has come for him to perform his other duties. However, if you keep insisting that he needs to stay here, he will feel obligated to. The quicker we find the rest of the warriors, the sooner we can summon Suzaku, and the more warriors I have by my side, the fewer impediments there will be to that goal. If you think about it, they are really two means to the same end. I truly believe that if Hotohori comes with me, the war will be over sooner than if he stays behind, and then no one will have to make those crucial decisions you want him to stay to make. Don't you agree?"

"That does make sense, Miko-sama, but what happens if Kutou attacks while his Highness is gone?"

"Who makes the decisions if Hotohori is sick?"

"No one, Miko-sama. We wait until his Highness is better."

By this point Nozomi was getting a headache. Forget what she said about this guy being intelligent. Suddenly she had an idea. She had used this with the one friend she made at Hogwarts after she moved to Japan. It just might work here. "In that case, I have an idea. My magic can help in this situation. Will someone bring me two identical mirrors? Preferably small, hand-held ones?" One of the maids rushed off to fulfill this request.

"What are you going to do, Miko-sama?" Tong Shen-tian asked, still exceptionally nervous.

"If you had a method of immediately contacting Hotohori when there was an emergency, would you let him go?" Nozomi asked earnestly.

"I suppose that would be acceptable, why?"

Nozomi was prevented from replying by the maid that came rushing into the room with the mirrors she requested. After thanking the slightly breathless young lady, Nozomi set the two mirrors on a table. They would work perfectly. They were small enough to slip inside a pocket, perfectly round, and perfectly identical.

Taking her wand out, Nozomi slowly tapped each mirror with the tip, took a small step back, and spoke the incantation, "ambo speculum epistula". Briefly, the two mirrors glowed with a white-blue light, and then looked like normal, everyday mirrors again. Satisfied, Nozomi handed one of them to the still nervous advisor. "Keep that with you, and if there is an emergency that you need Hotohori for, look into this mirror, and say _my_ name."

"Why your name, Miko-sama?"

Nozomi gave a slightly impish grin. "Because you're going to have to convince me that it's an emergency first." Nozomi pocketed her mirror, turned her back on Shen-tian and walked regally out the door. Everyone looked after her, rather confused, except one.

Hotohori could barely contain his excitement, and only years of practice kept his face in a neutral expression. He was going with her! He could finally leave the castle and be a normal person for the first time in his life. What's more, he was going with the full blessing of his advisors, with no need to feel guilty about abandoning his place at the throne. Smiling inwardly, he thought that with Nozomi on his side, he would still be going, even if his advisors objected. She certainly was determined, and he loved it.


	7. Nuriko's Plan

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author Note: Yay! Long chapter! This is my longest chapter to date. 13 pages in word!

Nuriko's Plan

Early the next morning, they were off and ready to go. In spite of many protests from Nozomi (and a few from Tamahome and Nuriko as well), Hotohori and Nozomi were sharing a horse. She happened to be a little huffy this morning, because no one seemed to believe that she could ride. But no, she was overruled by the handsome emperor.

In the end though, she only agreed because Hotohori made her feel guilty about using up too many of the palace resources, and needing to only take what was necessary. She offered to use her wings so the poor horse wouldn't have to drag two people around all day, but that idea didn't fly either, no pun intended.

So with a little bit of grumbling to hide the fact that having Hotohori's arms wrapped around her was anything but unpleasant, she refused any help mounting the large animal, and agilely leapt up to take her place in front of Hotohori. Smiling at Nozomi's stubborn and independent attitude, Hotohori soon followed her lead, and leaned in closer to her to grab the horse's reins, not bothering to hide that he liked the feeling, though out of kindness, he did pretend not to notice the blush now staining her smooth cheeks.

Much grumbling was heard from Nuriko during all of this, he didn't like the position Nozomi was in one bit. Correction, he didn't like that Nozomi was the one in that position instead of Nuriko himself. He couldn't really blame Nozomi though – even though he secretly did – to her credit, she did try just about everything to get out of it. That did nothing to stem the flow of jealousy coursing through him. In his heart, Nuriko knew that nothing could come of his love, after all, they were both men, and Hotohori needed an heir, something Nuriko could never give him, but hope refused to die none-the-less.

The party was a quiet one for the beginning of the trip, as no one wanted to draw attention to themselves. Between having the emperor and the Suzaku no Miko in their party, they'd get mobbed if anyone found out. Once they were out of the city, it would be safe to talk freely.

Soon, little cute furry woodland creatures started to surround Nozomi. She looked like one of the princesses in Disney movies, though her companions couldn't make that comparison, of course. Sticking out her finger, a small blue jay came and perched there. The bird would whistle, and Nozomi whistled back in an endless cycle. Looking at her oddly, her companions observed the exchange.

At one point, Nozomi looked particularly interested, almost like she was having a real conversation with the bird. But that was impossible, wasn't it? Soon she was smiling, though, and the bird flew off. They were far out of the city by this point, with no one in sight.

Still with that smile on her face, Nozomi turned to her companions and asked, "Would you like to see something you've never seen before, except in pictures?" Taking their silence as a yes, Nozomi let out a very unusual bird call indeed. The sound seemed to quiver in the air, penetrating everything around them, and echoing around them long after Nozomi had gone silent. Once the echoes had died down, though, they heard an answering cry, and a beautiful red and gold bird with an abnormally long tail flew towards them from a nearby tree.

"What is that?" Nuriko asked. Nozomi was right, he had never seen anything like this bird before, but the sight was beautiful and inspiring somehow. As unusual as the sounds were, they were pleasant to listen to as well.

"That, my friends, is a phoenix." Nozomi said with joy evident in her voice. All three men were astonished, and could barely believe it. "The headmaster of my school, Professor Dumbledore, had one that stayed with him in his office named Fawkes. I always liked Fawkes, he and Dumbledore seemed to suit each other very well. They were both far smarter than anyone else around them, and three times as wise."

"You know about phoenixes?" Tamahome asked incredulously.

"Of course. They're quite fascinating, really. Their tears have healing powers, they can carry immensely heavy loads, and when it comes time for them to die; they burst into flame, and are reborn from the ashes."

"Are they common in your world?" Hotohori inquired.

"Not particularly, but they're not exactly rare either. Everyone knows about them, just not everyone has seen one." At this point the phoenix, who had been circling their horses, started singing again. Nozomi smiled again, mimicked a few of the noises, and then turned to everyone else. "I'm afraid we'll have to say goodbye here." As they all watched, the bird settled on each of their shoulders in turn, and allowed them to pet him once or twice, before he flew back out of sight.

"How did you know what he was saying?" Nuriko couldn't hold back the question any longer. He'd been wondering that ever since the first bird came along. And of course the other little critters now getting under the horse's feet needed some explaining too.

"One of the benefits of being part mermaid is you can speak with animals. Including the normal ones you see all the time, but also magical animals like thestrals, unicorns, and kneazles." They all looked at her like she was insane.

"Like what?" Tamahome finally asked incredulously.

Nozomi tried to explain a little better. "Thestrals are rather like horses with wings, only their heads are shaped differently and their skin is like a lizard's. Fascinating creatures, though, you can't see them unless you've seen someone die. Because of that, they've been categorized as bad omens, even though they're really quite peaceful creatures. They could care less about humans, to tell the truth.

"Unicorns are a type of horse, though with a horn in their forehead, which has strong magical properties. So does the tail hair, incidentally.

"And kneazles are a little like cats, and can be interbred with cats, but they are remarkably intelligent. There are some wizards and witches that can turn into animals, but kneazles can tell when an animal is really a human in disguise. That's only the beginning; I can't remember their other powers at the moment, though."

"Tell us more about your world." This came from Hotohori, and Nozomi could feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke, causing a warm and fuzzy feeling to spread throughout her whole body. Desperately trying to concentrate on the conversation, instead of the fine specimen of a man behind her, she switched gears.

"Which part? The magical bit or the non-magical bit?"

"Which one is more interesting?"

"Point taken, magical bit it is." She said with a smile in her voice. "Well, I grew up in the non-magical world, so I didn't know about any of this until I turned 11. I knew I was different, obviously, no one else turned into a fish when wet, or had retractable wings. There were other indicators that I was different, however.

"One time, when I was first beginning my Jujitsu classes, one of my classmates came at me with one of the wooden practice swords, frightened out of my wits, I closed my eyes to await impact, but it never came. When I looked again, his sword had disappeared." Laughing a little at the memory, Nozomi continued.

"Everyone was so confused, but eventually, since there seemed to be no explanation for it at all, the subject was dropped. When I was 11, I got a letter, delivered by an owl, of course, that I had been accepted into a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was in that school for the next seven years of my life, learning all about magic and how to use it.

"As I explained at dinner, even in the wizarding world, I had to keep quiet about my heritage because of the law against non-humans learning magic. Fortunately for me, the headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, thought that law was completely pointless, so he kept my secret, and taught me anyway. I was also given extra lessons in his office to learn how to control my unique powers."

"What, you have powers the other students didn't have?" This interruption came from Tamahome.

"Yes." To demonstrate, Nozomi held out a hand, and a fire burst from her palm. Resting slightly above the skin, it burned as merrily as if she had a small pile of wood in her hand.

"There's one, and thanks to Dumbledore, I can control it completely. It used to only come when I was especially angry, and I couldn't control what it did, or when it appeared. There were a couple of close calls with a particular gentleman. I learned very quickly to just run away when I felt my anger rise to dangerous levels. Then of course, I can talk to animals, and my singing voice has some magical properties. I'm not sure how to describe it. My mother's voice could be used to purify someone or something, but mine's just kind of…soothing."

Wistfully, Hotohori remembered the events of the previous night, reflecting on how true that statement really was. "What powers did your father give you?"

"The only one I've found is the wings. Draconians are nearly extinct. In fact, I've only heard of two others, and like me, they're only half breeds. If they're still alive, they would be my cousins. But I have no idea where they are, or what their names are. In any case, I am the only one Dumbledore had ever met, if it wasn't for my existence, they would only be a vague legend. We searched all seven years for more information on that side of my family, but nothing turned up."

"Tell us more." Nuriko urged.

So Nozomi rambled on about talking pictures, Quidditch, her classes, amusing anecdotes about Hagrid and his monster fixation, hippogriffs, and much more. The three others listened silently, trying to imagine a world like the one she described. She told them all about Peeves, the vanishing closet, and since they seemed interested, more about Fawkes.

She was in the middle of telling them what the sorting hat told her that first day at school when she paused.

"What is it?" Hotohori asked, frowning slightly and reining in his horse. He didn't like the way she suddenly tensed.

Nozomi was staring at a small cluster of trees off to their right, not seemingly aware that she had been asked a question. Finally becoming aware of the three intense gazes directed her way, she made a visible effort to collect herself.

"Sorry. I thought I heard…nothing. It's nothing, never mind." She gave a completely unconvincing smile and continued with her story. But her thoughts were far away from the sorting hat she was telling them about. _'I thought I heard a small pop, like when someone apparates. But there are no witches here, are there? Should I ask some of the animals? No, I don't want to seem paranoid. It was probably just a branch cracking or something. It's fine.'_

**Kutou, 5 Seconds Later**

The blonde man standing in the corner of the fine room exuded an unmistakable sense of power and authority. His gaze was chilling in the extreme, and didn't change at all when a hooded figure appeared before him from thin air. "Well?" he demanded of the newcomer.

"It's true, General. They have found Suzaku no Miko. But there's more, sir."

The general listened without changing expression to the man's astonishing news. When he finished, all he said was, "Excellent. We'll test her to see how strong her powers are. Continue watching her, and keep me informed."

Once again, the hooded figure disappeared with a small 'pop'.

**Back to Konan**

All during the trip there had been an undercurrent of tension, as Hotohori was highly attentive to Nozomi, and Nuriko wasn't happy about it. As much as he had come to respect Nozomi, he still didn't like the fact that Hotohori so obviously preferred her.

Trying to parade his 'feminine' charms in front of the young emperor had not worked in the slightest; he paid no attention to anyone but Nozomi. The only plan Nuriko could work out other than that was to draw Nozomi's attention away from Hotohori. As the only other male in their party, Tamahome seemed the likeliest candidate. Unfortunately Tamahome's vocabulary did not include the word 'romantic', and was as clueless as only a straight man can be. He needed a lesson from the master. And who better to teach him than a gay guy parading as a girl? Nuriko to the rescue! First, they needed to connect on something they had in common.

The most obvious thing, which wasn't romantic at all, but it would have to do, was martial arts. The cross-dresser had seen Nozomi up at all hours of the day and night, practicing once her leg was better. So when they stopped for the horses to rest, and Nozomi excused herself to practice in a secluded section of trees, though no one but Nuriko knew what she was doing, the scheming violet haired warrior waited a few moments, and gave Tamahome a bogus message to pass on to Nozomi.

"Why do I have to give the message to her? Wouldn't Hotohori be a better person for it?" The young man complained.

"His Highness is tending to the horses right now, and I'm preparing some food for us, you need to go tell Nozomi that we'll be ready to eat soon!"

"Don't you think that after three days of traveling, she knows the drill just as well as the rest of us?"

Nuriko visibly sighed in frustration. He was just too stubborn for his own good. It seemed like she would just have to resort to good old physical force. "Just go tell her! If you don't, I might have to give you a 'friendly' push in the right direction!"

Looking alarmed at the mere thought, Tamahome hurriedly agreed. Once again, Nuriko had talked him into doing something he didn't want to. Really, she could be insufferable sometimes. Oh well, at least giving the message to Nozomi would keep him away from her fiery temper.

That was one thing he liked about Nozomi, she never seemed to be in a bad mood. Pensive sometimes, yes, sometimes quiet and reserved, but those days were getting fewer and fewer. But never once had he seen her angry, or yell at someone. She was a very restful person to be around.

As he cleared the trees surrounding her, he was surprised to see she was making very odd movements indeed. It almost looked like the warm-ups he did every day, but it was different. There were no punches thrown, no kicks, just twists and turns that never seemed to end. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she hadn't noticed him.

He watched her for a few moments, trying to find a good time to interrupt. He knew from experience that if you interrupted someone during their workout, you were likely to find yourself being attacked. He had some really bad memories from when he'd made that mistake with his master.

Suppressing a shudder at the thought, he realized that there wasn't going to be a good time to interrupt her, her movements were seamless, she moved from one exercise to the next without any pause at all. Readying himself mentally for the upcoming attack, Tamahome came and put his hand on her shoulder to attract her attention. At least, that was his intention. Much like she had done with the slave traders that day, she flipped him so he landed flat on his back before he'd even laid a hand on her. It took a moment for her to wake from her trance, but when she did, it was obvious how sorry she was.

"Oh my gosh Tamahome, I'm so sorry, did I hurt you?"

Wincing slightly as he got up, Tamahome played tough. "Naw, you couldn't hurt me that easily, I am a Suzaku warrior, after all. I was expecting a lot worse. Last time I did that to my master, he nearly ripped my head off."

While he talked, Nozomi had bent down to check for herself that he was alright. When she was sure he had no broken bones, she looked him in the eye. "I'm still sorry. When I'm practicing, I can tell when people are there, but somehow I don't take time to consider who they are. Are you sure you're okay? No broken bones, but I didn't give you any bruises, did I?"

Smiling a little, he assured her that he was made of tougher stuff than she gave him credit for. "What kind of martial art is that, anyway? I've only seen you do defense."

Giving him a smile that still held sadness within it, she helped him up before she responded. "There are only a few offensive moves in Aikido, which is what I was practicing. The theory behind it is that you don't need to hurt someone in order to prevent them from hurting you. It's actually a very powerful method of defense if you do it correctly. You use your opponent's own momentum against them. It's specifically designed for people like me, not very strong, a lot smaller than most everyone else, and with no desire to hurt anyone."

"Even when you're faced with slave traders who want to sell your body?" he asked, looking confused.

"Even when I'm faced with scum like that. I don't know why they became slave traders. Maybe they had no choice, or at least felt like they had no choice. I don't like what they do, and I'm not going to let them do it to me, but I don't want to hurt them either. Well, not permanently anyway. I can count on one hand how many times I've struck a person."

"How many times is that?" This time he was curious. He'd need more hands than he could count to represent how many asses he'd kicked.

"Three. Two of those times have been in this world."

"Once when you knocked the assassin unconscious, and what was the other time?"

Giving him a would-be innocent smile, Nozomi pretended she hadn't heard the question. "How long have you studied martial arts?"

Tamahome knew perfectly well what she was doing, and she darn well wasn't going to get away with it. "Come on, when was the other time?"

Giving him an I-think-you're-being-impertinent look, she answered haughtily, "I might make you number four if you don't stop asking me that question."

At the look on her face as she said that, Tamahome burst out laughing. Putting her hands on her hips in mock sternness, Nozomi scolded him. "Hey! Why does everyone always laugh when I say that?"

In between uncontrollable fits of laughter, Tamahome tried to explain. "Well…you don't look…very threatening. You look about…ten!" To Tamahome's confusion (hidden quite well by his laughter, which was still going strong), Nozomi smiled in satisfaction.

"Good, being underestimated by the enemy gives me the advantage!" With that, she put the still laughing warrior into a headlock, and started messing up his hair while laughing maniacally.

"Hey! Stop that! It's your turn now!" Expertly, Tamahome reversed their positions, and began tickling her without mercy, delighted beyond measure when he found that Nozomi was the most ticklish person he had ever met. The slightest touch of his fingers had her laughing so hard she couldn't breathe within seconds.

It was in this charming position that Nuriko found them. Secretly rejoicing, for phase one of his plan had worked better than he could have hoped, he decided it was time he put an end to it, judging by the way Nozomi's face was turning purple from lack of oxygen.

"Now, now Tamahome, when I sent you with that message for Nozomi, I thought I could trust you not to make a move on her!" he said with a wicked smile spread wide across his beautiful face. Tamahome jumped far away from Nozomi in embarrassment, giving the poor girl precious time to breathe.

"I didn't do anything! We were practicing…uh…martial arts! That's it! We were sparring!"

Knowing smile firmly in place, Nuriko gave him a penetrating glance, "Sparring…_right_. I suppose that's why the poor girl can't even stand up for coughing right now." And sure enough, Nozomi was on all fours, coughing up a storm, it seemed her lungs had forgotten how to deal with oxygen now that she had plenty of it. It was getting better with every cough though, and soon she was able to stand up. Nuriko couldn't believe what a perfect picture she made, with her hair completely tangled, and small twigs and leaves stuck in it, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

"Thank you, Nuriko. It's nice to be able to breathe. And to be fair to Tamahome, I started our little fight. It's been a while since I've had a real person to practice with. Though it seems Tamahome decided to invent a few rules of his own." She added with a reproving glare in Tamahome's direction. As Nozomi began to straighten out her hair, Nuriko decided it was time to tell them what she'd sent Tamahome in here to tell Nozomi.

"Anyway, the food is ready, so come on out when you've, ah, tidied yourself up a bit." Smiling at how Nozomi switched her accusing glare from Tamahome to him, Nuriko practically pranced out of the clearing. Yes, his plan had already shown the most promising signs. This was a very good beginning. Unconsciously, a new spring had entered his step.

That spring died out, however, when Hotohori continued his attentions to Nozomi during their meal, and she responded in a perfectly friendly manner that in spite of all his efforts, Nuriko couldn't find anything reasonable to criticize. Looking over at Tamahome, hoping to see jealousy there, he inwardly swore when Tamahome was too busy with his food to notice or care about anything else. _'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.'_

"So just out of curiosity, what is the next clue?" Nozomi was heard to ask Hotohori.

"Two characters, speed, and mountain. Mt. Reikaku is up ahead, so I thought we'd check there."

"Do people live on the mountain?"

"Not many," Tamahome joined in, "since the Mt. Reikaku bandits moved in."

"So in other words, our next warrior is probably one of the bandits?"

"Only if the clue refers to this mountain, which it may not." Hotohori pointed out. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than the mirror in Nozomi's pocket started glowing over by the horses, where she had left her cloak.

"Excuse me, but I have to take this call." She said with a wink. Grabbing the mirror, Nozomi peered in to see the face of Tong Shen-tian.

"Miko-sama, we need to talk to His Majesty!" he said with urgency in his voice.

"What's wrong?" She tried to sound as patient as she could. He'd contacted them at least once a day, claiming he needed to talk to Hotohori; so far she'd refused to let him, answering his questions herself. The poor man went on about some disagreement between the advisors about what Hotohori would have wanted to do about the coverings for the new formal dining table. Holding on to her patience with great difficulty, Nozomi asked what colors were being considered. As soon as red and gold were mentioned, Nozomi told him to go with those. It was Konan's official color combination after all.

"What did he want this time?" Hotohori asked with curiosity. He had to admit that it was very nice to have Nozomi take over his responsibilities for a while. This was the record amount of time that he'd avoided his advisors. And she handled them so well. He could tell she lost her patience with them rather quickly, but she hid it like an expert. He couldn't help thinking what an excellent Empress she would make.

Laughing a little, Nozomi informed them of the 'emergency'. "How do you deal with them day after day? What's your secret? Because I confess, they're trying my patience like no one else ever has."

"You get used to it." He assured her.

"You know, that's just really unfair. They expect you to be thinking for everyone in that palace, so they don't have to. That is far too much responsibility to put on one person. It makes me want to slap some sense into them. How can they depend on one person so completely that they can't decide what color tablecloth to get for the dining room? And for that matter, is it really so urgent that they can't wait until you get back?"

"Well, when I get an Empress, I will have someone to share the responsibility with." Nozomi quickly looked down at what was left of her food, because she didn't like what his intense stare was doing to her innards.

From the way he was looking at her, it was completely obvious he wanted her to know that he had her in mind for that position. And it was clear that Nuriko interpreted it that way as well, from the way he jumped up and rather vigorously claimed to be the perfect 'woman' for the job.

Nozomi couldn't help but smile at that, you had to admire Nuriko's persistence, even if Hotohori acted completely oblivious to her efforts. However, admiration aside, Nuriko's words had created a blanket of tension that seemed to be smothering the group slowly but steadily. A change of subject seemed to be in order.

"Okay…stupid question; what exactly do the bandits do?"

Tamahome looked at her like she was crazy. He really did that quite insufferably often. "What, you don't have bandits in your world?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Nozomi said, "Well, we have gangs, and I'm assuming they're similar, but each gang is different. I won't go into detail though, some of the things they do are really disgusting."

So the three took turns explaining what bandits did to people who crossed their path, and all in all, Nozomi thought they were very similar to gangs, only not nearly so violent. Just perverted, and goodness knows she'd dealt with a few perverts in her life.

"Nozomi, you don't look scared, do we need to tell you more about what the bandits do to people?" Nuriko wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was worried about how calmly Nozomi was taking this. It's not every woman who can listen to stories about how they treat females who cross their path and not get nervous.

"No, Nuriko. To be honest, I was expecting a lot worse. And besides, I have the three of you with me, and none of you are pushovers. I think we'll be fine."

Admiring her courage, for Hotohori chose to think that Nozomi was putting on a brave face for all of them; he announced the plan of stopping at the restaurant at the base of the mountain the next day, as rumors credited it with being a sort of clubhouse for the bandits. All of them agreed to it, and headed off again. It was only mid-day, and if they were to reach the restaurant at a reasonable hour tomorrow, they couldn't waste any time.

On their way to the restaurant, Nozomi and Tamahome had an unfortunate encounter while bathing. This meeting was conveniently arranged by Nuriko, of course, in phase two of his official plan to keep Nozomi away from Hotohori.

Nozomi had come to the conclusion that she stunk far too badly to expect her companions to put up with her stench any longer, and went to wash the dirt and grime off in a pond she found not too far from their campsite for the night.

Knowing as he did that Nozomi would stay underwater for great lengths of time, mermaid as she was, Nuriko decided to 'convince' Tamahome to bathe in the very same pond Nozomi currently inhabited. At first, he was hesitant, because he knew that Nozomi was bathing out there somewhere, and didn't want to chance running into an irate, less than properly clothed priestess, but Nuriko reassured him by peeking at the lake, and stating quite truthfully that Nozomi was no where in sight.

Grateful for the chance to wash the dirt and grime off himself, Tamahome quickly stepped in after Nuriko left. Imagine the surprise of both parties, however, when Nozomi surfaced, wearing nothing but her tail and a white bra. Needless to say, this over soaked garment did little to conceal anything. Both screamed simultaneously, and Nozomi dove down as far as she could into the depths of the lake.

The sounds of screaming roused Hotohori from his thoughts of Nozomi to yet more thoughts of Nozomi, though not nearly as peaceful and pleasant ones. Without thinking of anything but fear for her safety, he rushed to the place where he knew Nozomi to be washing up, followed by a silently cursing Nuriko, as he had not thought of this part of his scheme.

Hotohori's thoughts turned slightly more optimistic when he saw Tamahome, devoid of any proper clothing, standing in the middle of the lake with a shell-shocked expression. At least now he knew what had frightened the poor priestess, though he was finding it hard to forgive Tamahome for trying to join her while she was bathing.

"Tamahome, how could you interrupt Nozomi's privacy? How could you compromise her integrity and honor like that?"

Still shocked out of his mind, Tamahome seemed at a loss for words. "But I didn't-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Nuriko and I will leave, and I want you to get out immediately. We'll be looking for you at camp." Pivoting gracefully on his heal, he walked out with his best possible regal air, Nuriko giving Tamahome a fake sympathetic look before following suit. To do Nuriko credit, he did try to explain to Hotohori that it wasn't Tamahome's fault; that she had personally checked to see if she could see Nozomi, but he wouldn't hear it, he was too upset.

When Tamahome came back, fully clothed, though extremely wet, Hotohori couldn't even trust himself to look at his fellow warrior. They had to wait a full half hour in tense silence before Nozomi herself came into view, her legs restored, and her face still quite red from embarrassment.

Obviously bracing herself, Nozomi looked directly in Tamahome's eyes. "We need to talk. Now."

Miserably, Tamahome followed, for he thought that Nozomi would jump to conclusions like Hotohori obviously had. To his relief though, she listened to his story with only one sign of embarrassment, and held every appearance of believing and accepting his version.

Only slightly less red, they headed back to camp, where their first silent and highly uncomfortable night passed. Each had their own reasons for not speaking, Nuriko was trying to decide if phase two of the plan went well or not, Hotohori was still so angry at Tamahome he didn't trust himself to speak, even to Nozomi, Tamahome was cringing under the full weight of what he felt was everyone's disapproval, and Nozomi couldn't get the best of her embarrassment. Fortunately, a good night's rest improved much of their good humor.

As they walked into the restaurant, Nozomi suspected that the rumors were very true indeed. It looked like your typical seedy establishment. Everything seemed to be made of the same type of wood, and there were no decorations on the walls. And there was an unbelievable accumulation of dust over everything.

Peering over her shoulder, Nozomi made sure no one was watching, because she refused to let any friend of hers sit on that dirty of a table and chairs. Discreetly, she pulled out her wand just a bit, and performed a lovely little spell, leaving their table and chairs absolutely spotless.

As they sat down, she remarked that they seemed to be a little out of place. And indeed they were, most of the men in the room were now drooling over them more than they were drooling over their food. The waiter who came by, however, was impeccably polite, especially after he saw the bag of gold with which they would be paying. Unnoticed by anyone, except Nuriko, the other men doubled their drooling, and added scheming looks.

"Um…guys, I think they might try to do something to us, I don't like the looks they're giving us."

Acting supremely unconcerned, Nozomi replied, "Oh probably, but isn't that why we're here?"

"No! We're here to find the fourth warrior!" Nuriko hissed in an angry whisper.

"Well, to do that, don't we need to talk to the bandits? Which means getting to their headquarters?"

"That doesn't mean we have to let them capture us!"

"Why not? It's the fastest way to get there. I could fly up and spot it from the air, but it would still take days to get there on foot, in which time they would probably capture us anyway. And I can't fly all three of you up there, if I could, I would, believe me."

Nuriko tried to protest, but then he thought about what Nozomi was saying. In a sick kind of way, it did make sense. No matter how they got there, they would probably be tied up, so they might as well get there faster.

"I suppose you're right, but I wish there was a way for us to have a better advantage."

"Advantage?" Nozomi asked disbelievingly, but laughing slightly, "We have three warriors of Suzaku, and a freak of nature with magical powers, what more of an advantage do you want?"

Before any of them could scold Nozomi for this description of herself, her chair was tipped over by one of the men who had snuck up behind them unnoticed. Yet another one was standing above her, wielding a weapon looking lethally sharp.

"Give me all your money!" He shouted as the weapon came cascading down towards Nozomi's skull. She was already on it, however, which he found out when her foot collided with his wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon where Nozomi had rested only moments before. Using the momentum from her kick, she rolled into a standing position, and her three bodyguards soon had the man and his friend restrained against the wall.

Looking the man straight in the eye, all Nozomi said was, "How 'bout not?" Nuriko oh so kindly knocked both men unconscious, and as one they stepped out of the restaurant. Or at least they tried to. They found their way blocked by every other single occupant of the room. Looking at her companions and shrugging, Nozomi asked them, "Do you mind stepping aside? We didn't order any food, so we don't need to pay."

The biggest and burliest man in the whole group stepped forward, and replied in a gravelly voice, "Yeah, but you need to pay for beating up our buddy here. You're coming with us."

"You must be the Mt. Reikaku bandits, then." It was more of a statement than a question, but Nozomi just wanted to be sure.

"Yeah, that's right, so do as we say, and maybe we won't hurt you." So the four let the men tie them up, and expected to be led out of the small building, but instead they were all hit over the head, knocking them unconscious.


	8. Assassins

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author Note: Again, this chapter is 13 pages in word! My full rough draft is up to 85 pages. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys/gals are awesome!

Assassins

Getting very tired of waking up with a monster headache, even though it had happened only twice, Nozomi tried to stretch, and found out she couldn't. She was tied up, and there was no sign of her cloak, or wand. Looking over at the other three, she found they were still asleep, though showing signs of coming too. Wasting no time, while they seemed to be alone, she burned the ropes around her wrists into ashes.

Once her hands were free, she untied her legs. She was just making her way over to untie the others when the door burst open, scaring her to no end. A man with dark blue hair and a scar across his left cheek came striding in, with two of his buddies in tow. As she had been caught red-handed without her binds, Nozomi stood up tall to face the three men.

"Thought we'd try to escape, huh?" the blue-haired man said. "Well, if you have that much energy, maybe you'll be the one I take to the boss." After taking one last look at all her warriors, Nozomi stared the man in the eyes until he grew visibly uncomfortable.

"Very well, I will go willingly, lead the way." She refused to show fear, even though she was unquestionably nervous about what was going to happen to her once she was alone with the boss. But it had occurred to her that with Suzaku's power that strongly within him, the fourth warrior might very well be the boss; it would certainly insure that he rose to the top very quickly.

Scar-cheek, as Nozomi had mentally dubbed him, no longer accompanied by his thugs, silently walked through several corridors, and finally stopped at a set of double doors. Facing it, he began the oddest speech Nozomi had ever heard.

"Knock, knock, who's there? It's the wonderful Kouji, with a woman for the boss as ordered. Yes, Kouji, come in. Thank you." With the last two words, Kouji opened the double doors wide enough to admit him, and the smaller form of Nozomi. Once the doors had opened in front of them, the smell of many different medicines assaulted Nozomi's nose.

Peering around her guide, she saw a middle aged man, lying motionless on a futon in the middle of the room, several men stood around the bed, looking distinctly uncomfortable and unsure of themselves. Another man was awkwardly bent down, trying to persuade the sick man to drink some water.

"Ah, Kouji, good. We've got no idea what to do 'round here. He's gettin' worse, 'e needs some proper nursin'."

Catching on, Nozomi cried indignantly, "You want me to nurse him? I'm not a medical professional! Why didn't you get a doctor, if he's so bad?"

Kouji turned on her. "The village closest to us has a plague going around, they can't spare a single doctor, and we don't want to introduce him to any more disease!"

Understanding dawning in her eyes, Nozomi responded, "Okay, I'll see what I can do, but I don't make any promises."

She walked over to the apparently sleeping man, and gently laid a hand on his forehead. He had a really bad fever, he was sweating like crazy, and now that she was closer, she could smell stale sake on his breath.

Turning an accusing glare in the general direction of the obviously clueless males in the room, she spoke with as much venom as was in her eyes. "Has any idiot been feeding this man sake?" Immediately all faces began to look guilty, except one. That one had fire-orange hair, matching amber eyes, and was wearing a surprising amount of jewelry for a man.

Returning her attention to the guilty faces, she continued. "Do you realize that when someone is sick, like this man here," she indicated the sick man who she was currently tending with a cool cloth, "they need lots of fluid in their system to fight off the fever? Sake is a diuretic, meaning that it dehydrates the body, which only helps the fever grow and creates more problems. And, if there is anything more serious going on here than a fever, an over-fondness for sake might very well be the root of the problem, in which case, you are again only making him worse." She turned to Kouji. "You were obviously right to bring me here. I don't want any of these idiots near him until he's stronger; the only people I'll allow close to him are you, and the red-head."

Silently, Kouji motioned for everyone to leave. They did, but with much grumbling and complaining. After they left, he and the red-head knelt down to watch her work. "Why did you let Genrou stay?" He asked with curiosity apparent in his voice.

"He was the only one who didn't look guilty when I asked if anyone had been feeding him sake." She explained simply. "So your name is Genrou? Nice to meet you, I'm Nozomi." The man named Genrou looked at her rather oddly. There was something about this girl, he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something different about her, other than her odd clothes, of course.

Usually he hated women, all women, but strangely enough, he couldn't bring himself to hate her. She hadn't done more than glance at him briefly, but he found himself wanting more. But that was ridiculous, he hated women, and he certainly didn't want them looking at him, which is why he became a bandit in the first place. Shaking his head, as Nozomi had already occupied too many of his thoughts, he concentrated on the boss.

"Will he be alright?" he asked as Nozomi applied a cool cloth to his forehead yet again.

"I honestly don't know, I don't know much about medicine, and I don't have any supplies with me, but I do know the first thing to do is to get rid of this fever. He's going to need a lot of water, and if we could have some soup with leeks in it, that's good at reducing fevers. He is pretty bad though, I have to tell you. He's been like this for quite a while, hasn't he?"

Genrou didn't reply for a while, he was too busy gaping at her obvious concern for the boss. Usually when they kidnapped people, they were either extremely angry or scared, and either way they refused to cooperate. Again, this girl was different. Mentally shaking himself yet again, Genrou replied that yes, the boss had been sick for a while. Nodding her head, Nozomi assured both of them that she would do her best.

While Nozomi was tending her duties in the sick room, Tamahome, Hotohori, and Nuriko had awoken, and were demanding to know where Nozomi had been taken. An obviously drunk young man had come up to them, and was taunting them as only an inebriated person can.

"Hehe! Spirited ones, aren' ya? Thin' yer all tha, don' ya? Well, hehe! I know somethin' you don'! I know where the girl is! Hehe! An' I ain't gonna tell ya nothin' 'til you pretty things" motioning to Hotohori and Nuriko, "serve us some sake!" This enthusiastic declaration was followed by many cheers from his other obviously drunk friends, as well as the few sober ones. Hotohori was going to protest with all the dignity he could muster while being tied up like a hog at Christmas, when Nuriko nudged him in the ribs.

"If they untie us, when they're all so drunk they can barely stand, we can overpower them easily. Then we can get to Nozomi faster. And it's certainly a lot faster than if we let them know that you are a man." Still grumbling a little, but convinced, Hotohori allowed himself to be untied, with Tamahome screaming in the background to be released as well.

While Nuriko wasted no time going to serve drinks, Hotohori begged, in his most girly voice, to be excused for just one minute. Turning his back to the assembly, he powdered his face just a touch. Whirling around to face them, he struck a dramatic pose, making everyone, especially Nuriko, fawn over his beauty. Even Tamahome had to sweatdrop at the man who looked like a woman.

They were still serving drinks when Kouji and Genrou came into the room. Immediately there was an uproar, guys asking if the girl had lost her virginity yet, and who the lucky guy was. Nuriko had to physically restrain Hotohori when those words were spoken; he was trying to strangle the man. Kouji just smiled and said something about the girl's usefulness wasn't over yet, so no, no one had spoiled her.

Genrou was completely silent. Though he would never admit it, he too felt like punching the guy who had suggested that Nozomi's virginity should be taken away. He had no idea where this feeling of protection came from, but he didn't like it, not one bit. But he was usually silent, so none of the guys noticed anything. Not that they would, with as drunk as they were.

He sat down, and the guy next to him clearly tried to whisper confidentially, though his slurred words were crystal clear to everyone in the room. "I hear she's a fine one, maybe even fine enough for you to be tempted, eh, Genrou? Ya gonna ask the boss fer her? You know he'd let ya, yer his favorite. Just don' forget to pass her along when yer done."

With these words, both Hotohori and Nuriko rushed for the man, and began their torture session. Tamahome broke free of his bindings in his rage, grabbed Hotohori's sword, and tossed it to him. In the commotion that followed, no one noticed a very drunk, very ugly man sneak through the door in the direction where Kouji had taken Nozomi.

"You're awake." A gentle voice spoke above him. His vision was slightly blurred from the fever, but it was getting much better with every passing moment. Blinking, he tried to clear the film away from his eyes, so he could look upon the source of that voice.

Gradually a young girl swam into view, she was in bright red clothes that brought color to her pale cheeks, had light brown hair that fell down next to her face, and genuine concern and relief in her light eyes. He cleared his throat slightly.

"'My dead?"

A small laugh came bubbling from the young girl. "No, you're very much alive. You had a nasty fever, though."

"If I'm not dead, then how come there's a girl nursing me? There're no girls in our group." The man thought about what he'd said for a moment, while the girl looked on, clearly amused. "Oh, of course, I didn't think. We're bandits, we kidnapped you."

Nozomi nodded. "Yep, me and my three companions. We were about to eat in your restaurant when we were attacked. Your men have been very worried about you, you know."

"Then where are they?" He looked around, realizing for the first time that he was alone with this strange girl.

"I told Kouji and Genrou to go get something to eat, they both looked pale, and I ordered everyone else out, because before I came they were dumb enough to give you food that would only make you worse."

He was amused beyond belief. "You ordered out an entire group of my men?"

"Well, Kouji backed me up, which was probably best, as they went without a fight then. If it had been just me, I probably would have had to beat a few of them up to get them to leave. And I do hate to fight."

"If you're so sure of your ability to beat up my men, then how did they capture you and three others?"

"I let them. I was looking for you anyway, and getting captured happened to be the fastest way to accomplish that."

"How do you figure that?" As much as he could, he expressed incredulity at the girl's actions and thought processes. In response to his query, he merely got another smile.

"You sound like Nuriko when I told her that. But if you think about it, it does make sense. We could have wandered the mountains for days, and if we ever got close to your headquarters, we probably would have gotten captured before we could get there anyway. You know the terrain around here, and could easily have set traps for us, and we would never know. We could have followed the men in the restaurant of course, but they eliminated that option when they ganged up on us. So the best course of action seemed to be getting caught."

Listening to this speech, he did realize that it made a certain sense. And he knew for sure that none of his own men would have thought of it like that. Her brain obviously worked in highly unusual ways, but at least it did work. He could respect that, even if she was a woman.

"So why were you looking for us?" Nozomi had barely drawn breath to answer when the door opened, revealing possibly the ugliest man Nozomi had ever seen in her life. She had no time to question him, however, as he immediately sprinted to a wooden box at the other end of the room. Opening it, he drew out a fan, and aimed it threateningly at Nozomi, who had stood up to protest his presence in the sick room.

"Shut up and do what I say, or else." He said in a drunken slur.

Hands on hips, Nozomi looked at him like the idiot he was. "You expect me to be frightened of a _fan_? Come on, even though it is iron, it's hardly threatening." She ignored the slight tugging of her slacks that meant the invalid was trying to gain her attention.

"This is no ordinary fan! It's a tessen! Rekka Shinen!"

Nozomi saw the fire, and instinctively ducked. The top of her head got a little singed, and she could feel the heat warming the rest of her skin almost unbearably. When the flames had passed, she stood up once again to face the superior smirk on the monkey man's face.

"What's your name?" she demanded to know.

"Eiken! The next boss of the Mt. Reikaku bandits!"

Nozomi clenched her fists slightly to hide the fire already burning there. In a voice that revealed her impatience, she declared, "Eiken, if you're going to be the next boss, then I should teach you a very valuable lesson. You're not the only one that can play with fire!"

As the word 'fire' erupted from her mouth, her hands were raised, aimed on either side of Eiken, and fire burst from her palms, scorching him much like he had burned her. As the flames licked around him in their eternal dance, Eiken dropped the fan to protect his ugly face from the searing heat. When she was satisfied, Nozomi summoned the fire back to her hands.

"Now get out of here before I decide not to miss." Eiken didn't need telling twice, completely forgetting about the tessen he ran as fast as his stubby little legs would carry him. Shortly after he had burst through the door, leaving it wide open in the process, Hotohori, Tamahome and Nuriko poked their heads in.

"You alright in here, Nozomi?" Tamahome asked bluntly.

"Oh yes, just a small pest control problem, but its okay now." She spoke nonchalantly, but all the same Hotohori came up and hugged her. He had to reassure himself that she really was alright, that no one had touched her. They certainly wouldn't now that he was by her side once again. Warmth spread through him as she hugged him back, and whispered soothing phrases against his chest, where his heart was beating so hard he thought it might jump out at the petite girl pressed against him.

"I take it these are your three companions?" Nozomi gave a small start at the voice coming from the floor. She had been so engrossed in soothing Hotohori, and the feeling of warmth that had spread though her that she had completely forgotten about anything else. Distancing herself only slightly from Hotohori's arms, as he refused to let her go entirely, she looked at the man she had been nursing, nodded, and introduced everyone. After this short greeting, he looked once again at Nozomi.

"You never answered my question. Why were you looking for the Mt. Reikaku bandits?"

"I am the Priestess of Suzaku, and these are the three warriors I have found so far. We have reason to believe that the fourth warrior is one of your men."

A knowing smile crept onto the old face. "Tasuki." He said weakly. "Tasuki is the one you're looking for. But before we deal with that, I have personal business I must attend to; I need to speak to Genrou and Kouji." No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than those two gentlemen came through the door.

"Yeah, boss?" Kouji asked. Genrou just came and knelt down beside him, and took his hand.

Chuckling a little, the boss asked if they'd been listening. Both nodded without a trace of remorse. "Genrou, in spite of this girl's attention, I know I don't have long. Judging by Eiken's actions, most of the men know too. Take the tessen now, Genrou. You're the new boss of the gang. I'm in no fit state to lead anyone anymore, and it's not going to get better. But remember, Genrou, you have other business outside of this mountain you need to take care of, so if you have to leave someone else in charge while you're gone, choose someone you trust, like Kouji here."

Trying, and failing, to look confused, Genrou asked the boss, "What business do I have, boss? What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean…Tasuki. For once in your life don't avoid your destiny." At his softly spoken words, four heads immediately turned to the red-head. Laughing at the young man a little, the boss continued. "As far as women go, she's not too bad. She scared the shit out of Eiken, and you know what he's like towards the opposite sex."

Nozomi walked over to where Genrou was. "You're Tasuki?" She asked hesitantly.

Inwardly sighing, he answered in a gruff, don't-speak-to-me-because-I'm-a-badass voice. "Yeah, but I'm sure as hell not going with you. I hate women."

Nozomi appeared not to notice the warning in his voice. Instead she answered with almost sickening cheerfulness. "That's okay; we're really quite unbearably petty creatures. Aren't we, Nuriko?"

"You better believe it." The 'lady' replied.

"See?" Nozomi said oh so innocently. "She doesn't like me either. It's all good."

"Tasuki, go with her. It's your destiny, you can't avoid it forever." His boss was still insisting on calling him by his warrior name. It seemed to be his way of telling Tasuki that he really did need to go.

"But if you want to take care of business here first, we can come back for you after we find the others." Nozomi interrupted. She wanted to accommodate the new leader of the bandits, and her fourth warrior, because she did realize that he had other duties besides those of Suzaku.

Looking from his boss's determined face, to the hopeful one of his priestess and his fellow warriors, he realized that his boss was right, he couldn't avoid destiny forever. He could give it a try, but it wouldn't work. Usually his stubborn side would insist that he avoid it for as long as humanly possible, but part of him actually wanted to go with these people. After a few moments of internal struggle, he agreed to go. Reluctantly, but he still agreed.

"Kouji, you're in charge until I get back, which might not be for a while. We'll leave in the morning."

During dinner, when Nozomi was trying to talk to Tasuki, she found out about a hot springs near the base. "There's a hot springs here? You mean warm water? Where is it?" Tasuki told her, very confused why she was so excited. "Excellent. I'll be back."

"Wait, where are you going?"

Nozomi looked at him like he was being dense. "To take a _bath_."

Tasuki rolled his eyes and downed his sake. "Women."

**At the Hot Springs**

Nozomi sighed with pleasure as the warm water soothed away all sores and rinsed away the funky smell that had adhered to her person over the past few days. _'Hot water feels so unbelievably wonderful. It's amazing what you take for granted in the 21st century.' _

She was humming softly to herself when a man scared her out of her wits. Being in her girly mood, Nozomi did credit to her sex by letting out the most high-pitched scream on record to date. The man merely smirked and pulled out a very long knife. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you, lady. Now be a doll and get out of the water."

Having now regained control of herself; Nozomi stared at him disdainfully. "No."

"Oh really? If you'll notice, I have your clothes right here. I can wait as long as it takes. Eventually you'll have to get out, and there's no way to hide yourself."

"Your plan is really rather stupid. You know that, right? This stream is so close to the base of the Mt. Reikaku bandits that a reasonable person could only suppose that I am one of them. And since my scream could be easily heard at headquarters, I must assure you that my traveling companions are running here at full speed as we speak. So unless you _want_ to get your ass kicked by myself and the four males now heading this way, I suggest you drop my shirt and run."

The man appeared unmoved by this warning speech. "I just want you to come out of the water. I'll take it from there."

"Oh, I see. So you want a glimpse, is that it?"

"For now." A nasty smile spread across his face.

"Well, keep watching, it's going to go by quickly." Nozomi ducked under the water, and turned so her back would face him. Gathering speed under water, Nozomi broke though the surface, giving the man a first hand view of her tail. As she had hoped, his shock about that completely distracted him from his previous aim. What her speech failed to do, the sight of her tail succeeded. The man fled, still with a vice grip on her clothes. And Nuriko finally allowed himself to laugh out loud.

"Oh hello, how long have you been there?"

"I came just in time for your big speech." Another laugh. "I would have interrupted, but I thought you had it pretty well in hand."

"Did you hear me scream?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here. Hotohori noticed you were missing, and when Tasuki told him where you were, he asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Female as you are?"

"Exactly. Finished?"

"Yes, just need to dry my tail so I don't scare anyone else."

"This is the first time I've seen your tail. It's red, isn't it?"

"Yes. Did you know there's a difference between freshwater mermaids and tropical mermaids? Freshwater mermaids always have silver tails, very pale skin, and green hair. But possibly the biggest difference is the way they talk. When they're below water it's exactly the same, but unlike tropical mermaids, when freshwater mermaids are above the water, even though they're speaking the same way, it comes out as these horrible screeching sounds. But that screechy sound is actually a learnable language. It's called Mermish."

"Could you demonstrate?"

"Um…actually…no. You see, it's rather ironic, but even though I'm one half mermaid and can speak to almost any animal under the sun, I don't speak a word of mermish."

**Back at Base**

Nozomi and Nuriko were slightly the worse for wear, as they came storming up to Tasuki, where he was talking and drinking with Kouji. Nozomi was draped in an outer layer of Nuriko's clothing – which effectively hid the fact that her wings were out, though folded bird-like at her back. Nuriko forced Kouji to one side, while Nozomi plopped herself down on Tasuki's other side, effectively pinning him in. Not wasting any time, they began a verbal attack on the unfortunate, slightly tipsy red-head.

"Do you realize," Nozomi began, "exactly how many random predators are freely roaming around your territory? In a space of a ten minute period, Nuriko and I came across three. Just by the hot springs!"

"What kind of bandits are you? Don't you have traps to prevent this kind of thing?" Nuriko added.

"Wait a minute." Hotohori interrupted. "You were attacked while taking a bath? Again?" Tamahome turned slightly red, but no one paid any attention.

"Well, you can hardly count the first time, that was a simple misunderstanding. But the first one tonight, with something less than chivalry, stole my clothes, and demanded I get out of the water."

"Hey, that one was pretty funny; it's the other two I'm ticked about."

"I suppose it was rather amusing how he turned tail and ran. But I am upset that he didn't think to leave me my clothes. I liked that shirt."

"He even took your cloak." Nuriko pointed out.

"I know! Good thing I'd emptied the pockets. Otherwise I wouldn't have had my pepper spray for our next visitors." Laughing and smiling, the two gave each other a high five, thoroughly confusing everyone else in the room.

"Okay, shut the _fuck_ up, and tell us what the _hell_ happened." Obviously Tasuki was getting impatient. Though they didn't verbalize it, every sober person, who consisted of the Suzaku warriors, felt the exact same way.

Losing the smile very quickly, both ladies told the story.

"It was as I was, uh, drying off after our first visitor. Two men, with long black cloaks, came up to us, and without any sort of warning, attacked us. One had a weapon I've seen before, but I don't remember the name, a curved blade on a handle, attached to a chain. He just threw it at us."

"We both rolled out of the way" Nuriko continued when Nozomi seemed too upset. "Then the other one took a sword, and tried to stab Nozomi. She rolled away again, grabbed me, and we tried to fly away, but as soon as her wings came out, three arrows pierced one."

"It was strange. It happened so quickly, almost like they were expecting it. We never saw the man who shot the arrows." Nozomi paused to think for a moment. "So we probably ran across four random predators in the space of ten minutes."

"Anyway, then the ones we could see sent a ki blast, or something similar, not quite sure what it was, one for each of us. Didn't do much damage, but it hurt like hell and pushed us back into the trees."

"Fortunately for me, I landed near where I'd stashed the contents of my pockets. My wand was way out of reach, but I did get my pepper spray."

"Probably saved both our lives."

"Or mine at least. The one with the sword grabbed my arm, and I sprayed him. Nailed him right in the eyes. Then I hit him with…well, you can probably figure out what I hit him with, considering I was still wet."

"Yes, please continue." Hotohori's concern was well and truly visible by this point.

"In the meantime, the other one was throwing his weapon at me from a distance. Until he heard the sword guy scream. Then he started throwing it at Nozomi. She managed to miss the first one."

"But when I rolled, I rolled right into the one I'd sprayed, and he grabbed me so I couldn't move. It's a very good thing Nuriko made it in time to snatch the guy's weapon. She broke the chain off."

"But when the chain came off, the sharp part went sailing towards her. It hit her other wing. And what happened next, I'm a little upset with Nozomi for, now that I remember."

"I thought it was best. I couldn't think of any other way to get them to leave us alone." Nozomi said rather defensively to Nuriko. Turning to the others, she began to elaborate. "You see, I knew that the one holding me couldn't see because of the pepper spray, so when I screamed, he didn't know where I'd been hit. And the one that had hit me was at an angle where in the dark he could easily be persuaded that it had hit me in the chest, instead of the wing. So I played dead."

"So well she had me convinced. Brat."

"Sorry."

"Anyway, both of them disappeared after that."

The room was silent for what felt like a whole minute. In reality it wasn't nearly so long. Finally Hotohori spoke. "There is a chance those last ones weren't so random."

"What do you mean?" Nozomi asked.

"There are some people who would much rather you not summon Suzaku. Kutou, one of the other countries I've told you about, have been after Konan's land for a long time, and if we summon Suzaku, they would have no hope of that."

"So what are you saying?"

"They might have sent assassins."

Nozomi went pale. If she had been standing, she probably would have fallen down. "To…to kill _me_?" She put her head in a hand while trying to digest this information. "I wondered why I needed bodyguards. They must have spies too. Otherwise, how could they have known?" Nozomi continued to think with a dejected expression.

"Nozomi," Nuriko interrupted hesitantly, "I know this isn't the best time, but we do need to get your injuries looked at."

Nozomi clutched her borrowed clothes even more tightly against her. "Right. The mirror is on the table over there, and Tasuki, if you'd be so kind as to show me to an empty room I can borrow. And I don't suppose you have any medical supplies around here?"

The slightly drunk warrior looked at her, a little confused, and then glanced at the floor she was sitting on. "Holy shit! There's a puddle of blood around you!"

Hotohori and Tamahome leapt to their feet at his words to see for themselves. Sure enough, there was a small pool of blood on either side of Nozomi. Apologetically, she looked up at them. "I can't retract my wings if they're injured, or they don't heal right. But that's all I know about it. I've never had a wing injury before. That's why I'm hoping to talk to the palace doctors through the mirror."

"Can I see how bad it is?"

"Not here! My shirt was stolen, remember? That's why I want an empty room."

"Tasuki, is there a vacant room she can use?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, firs' door on the left." His words were starting to get a little slurred, and he obviously wasn't paying any attention to their conversation.

"Do you want me to carry you, or can you walk?"

"I can walk, only my wings are injured. I'm not losing much blood either. I know that looks incriminating, but I've been sitting in the same place for a while."

So with Hotohori's and Tamahome's help, Nozomi made it to the room Tasuki had indicated, while Nuriko used the mirror to demand to talk with one of the palace doctors.

Nozomi proceeded into the room alone, until she could arrange herself decently. She tried wrapping Nuriko's clothing around her so it would cover all her front, but her wings were always in the way. Eventually she had to satisfy herself with laying face down on the floor, her wings unfurled. Her bra was still on, thank goodness, and she had her pants, but the rest of her was completely bare. A fact which Tamahome and Hotohori were totally unprepared for.

As soon as they realized her state of undress, both men turned around so their backs were to her. "We'll just guard the door so no one but Nuriko comes in."

"Guys. Did either one of you think that Nuriko just might need help? You're not seeing anything inappropriate, and I trust both of you. It's okay, you can stay."

Before either one could reply, Nuriko came in with the mirror in her hand. "Your advisors insist they need to talk to you, Hotohori-sama."

Rolling her eyes, Nozomi cut in impatiently with, "Oh for heaven's sake, give it here." Nuriko tried (and failed) to hide a smile as he handed the mirror over to Nozomi's outstretched hand. _'She's finally lost her patience with them. This is gonna be good.'_

Propping herself up, Nozomi put the mirror on the floor in front of her, and dove right into her lecture. "There is a time and a place for everything. Right now, I am bleeding on the floor of the headquarters of the Mt. Reikaku bandits. Now is not the time to argue about the colors for the wall hangings in the new formal dining room."

Without another word she handed the mirror back to Nuriko, but not before every one in the room heard the poor advisor say, "How'd you know?"

"Ouch!" Nuriko dropped the mirror, his fingers pink where he'd touched it.

Nozomi looked at her hands and realized they were giving off a small flame. Clapping them together to put it out, she said, "Sorry. I guess I got a little angry."

Giving her a strange look,he pulledhis sleeves over his hands and grabbed the mirror again. "You heard her, sir; we need to talk to one of the palace doctors." After that, everything went fairly smoothly, and before a half hour had passed, Nozomi had two rolls of bandages wrapped around her wings.


	9. Nostalgic Reflections

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author's Note: For all you curious and observant reviewers out there, I will state that although Nozomi talked about wands and wings and pepper spray in front of Tasuki in the last chapter, he was more than a little drunk at the time, and wasn't paying any attention, therefore he doesn't remember any of it.

Nostalgic Reflections

**Three Days Later**

A man watched the group from afar. The one with a temper to match his hair was swearing profusely, only fueled by the fact that a small, brown haired woman draped in a cloak that was far too big for her was laughing at him.

A lavender haired woman kept punching him with such force he would be sent skidding across the dirt. A black haired man, who could have easily been a woman, kept staring raptly at the one with brown hair.

Occasionally a short tussle would break out between the red-head and a blue-haired man. In spite of the fighting they seemed a happy group. There were many Kutou spies around them, though, confirming what he had suspected. The brown haired one was the legendary priestess. She would find him soon enough, but for now, he's just take care of a few of those potential assassins.

"So what's our next clue, Hotohori?" Nozomi was having the time of her life, and she was not holding back anymore. She had been laughing at Tasuki almost the whole trip, which actually seemed to annoy him.

'_He reminds me so much of Jeff, swearing like a sailor, but has a heart of gold. I never laughed like this at Jeff's antics, but now I wish I'd given in to the impulse.'_

As she turned to Hotohori, he thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight, he just wished he was the one who could make her laugh like that. But now was not the time for idle wishes.

"This next one is very odd. The characters here represent fox and magic."

"Fox and magic?" Nozomi was clearly confused. "How about we come back to that one?" she suggested. "What's the next one?"

"Short and intelligence."

"Okay, so we're looking for a midget or child genius. I don't suppose you have tests for that kind of thing?"

"No, but we do have some very hard tests for government officials. Why don't you contact Tong Shen-tian and ask him if there have been any abnormally high scores lately?"

Giving everyone a quick smile, Nozomi leapt up to retrieve the mirror from her cloak, over by the horse she shared with Hotohori. "Hey, how the hell can she contact that guy from here?" Tasuki demanded.

"Tong Shen-tian." Nozomi had spoken clearly into the mirror. Soon a muffled, but surprised voice answered back.

"Miko-sama?"

"I have a question for you. We think the next warrior might be some kind of genius, possibly a child. Has anything of that nature appeared on the tests for government officials?"

"Yes, Miko-sama. There was a thirteen year old boy who scored remarkably high."

With that information, and a mounting excitement within her, Nozomi had soon obtained the name of the village where he lived, and the name of the boy who had received such a high score. Thanking the advisor, Nozomi replaced the mirror in its appropriate pocket, and sat back down by the others, and asked if anyone knew where the village was.

"Yeah, it's about a mile west of here, my family lives there. All fucking six of 'em. I hate women." Tasuki said. "Now, who the fuck were you talking to?"

"Tong Shen-tian, one of the advisors at the palace. It's a two-way mirror." Nozomi said that as if it answered everyone's questions, but Tasuki still had a bunch of them.

"What the f –"

"Tasuki, before any more profanity comes out of your mouth, I'll explain. Simply put, I'm a witch. I enchanted two identical mirrors so that we had a direct line of communication with the palace."

After looking like he was going to freak out for a moment, Tasuki settled down surprisingly well with the help of a small flask he pulled from inside his jacket. "We should get some rest if we're going to reach that village tomorrow. We'll have to get up very early." Hotohori advised.

"Before we do, Nuriko, could I talk to you in private for a minute?" Nozomi asked a little nervously. All the men looked at her a little curiously. "Just a little girl talk. Please?"

So Nuriko went off with Nozomi until they were just out of hearing range. "This is a little embarrassing, but I hadn't quite emptied all the pockets of my cloak before that guy stole it. Because of that, I have about two days before my monthly cycle starts, and no supplies."

"Monthly cycle?" Nuriko was obviously confused.

Nozomi was definitely nervous now. "No one in the harem ever mentioned the fact that they bleed every month?"

"I'm afraid not. The women in the harem didn't talk about personal stuff. I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Then can you do me one favor? Don't mention this talk to anyone? I'd be really embarrassed."

"Of course, it's the least I can do, considering what you haven't mentioned for my sake."

After clumsily expressing her thanks, Nozomi and Nuriko headed back to camp, where Nozomi was questioned about her slightly red face. Assuring everyone that she was fine, she turned to Tasuki.

"I take it from your earlier statement that you have women in your family?"

"Yeah, six of 'em. Why?"

"Because we're going to pay them a visit tomorrow. I'm making an executive decision."

Before Tasuki could spurt forth more profanity, Tamahome interrupted. "Why are we visiting flame-boy's family?"

"It's a very short detour, it won't take that long, and I need to talk to a woman."

"You just talked to Nuriko."

Nozomi paused slightly before saying, "I need a second opinion."

"If it's an opinion, can't you talk to us?" Hotohori was obviously a little hurt that Nozomi didn't want to talk to him about whatever it was.

"No. Don't get me wrong, if this was anything else, I could turn to you guys, but none of you could help me on this one. I need to talk to a woman." Another pause. "Other than Nuriko. And somehow, the relative of one of my warriors makes it feel much less like talking about a personal problem with a complete stranger."

"Personal problem? Tell me again how we can't help you with this? What's wrong?" Hotohori was definitely worried now.

"I'm fine. Can you just trust me on this, please? I promise, I'm fine, this is just a perfectly normal thing that I'm totally unprepared for, and I need to know how to deal with it."

"And Tasuki's family will be able to help you, but not us?"

"Yes. That sounds about right. Believe me, if I could turn to you, I would. Can we leave it at that, please?"

Taking pity on the girl, Nuriko jumped in. "Let it go, guys. Trust me, she's fine, and she's right when she says that none of you would know how to answer her question."

With Nuriko backing her up, they had no choice but to let go the mystery of what Nozomi needed to talk to a woman about, and do their best to sleep.

It was a long time before Hotohori was able to sleep. He watched as Nozomi's breathing evened out as she drifted off into dreamland. Watching her snuggle deeper into the blankets and listening to her make soft noises in her sleep made it feel like they were all alone, even if Tasuki's snores were little short of deafening. It put him in mind of the one time at the palace when they were truly alone, and had their first lengthy conversation.

**Flashback**

It had been the night before they left the palace, and try as he might, he could not settle down enough to fall asleep. So, he walked to Nozomi's room, as he had many times, though she didn't know it. Somehow he just couldn't sleep unless he knew she was alright. Not only was she just fine, she was awake too, watching a strange blue fire burn merrily in the fireplace.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Nozomi, but I couldn't sleep. Can I come in for a bit?" he asked softly.

She turned to him and gave him a slow, heartwarming smile. "Of course, I couldn't sleep either. But now you're here, we can try my method that never fails; a nice chat over a steaming cup of hot chocolate."

This being said, she walked over to the corner of her room, where cold water resided in a porcelain pitcher. She conjured some type of metal pot, and poured the water in it, before placing the pot over the fire. The next objects to emerge from her wand were two large mugs, and then filled those mugs halfway with a strange brown, powdery substance.

"What's hot chocolate?" It took him a while to ask, because he was busy memorizing every movement, cherishing every second with the woman of his dreams.

Again he was the recipient of one of those smiles. "You'll like it, trust me. And once you finish that glass, you'll be very sleepy." After she had regained her chair, she asked him some questions. "So, why can't you sleep? Anything on your mind?"

"Probably the same things that are on your mind. I'm just worried and excited all at once about our trip. And I'm very glad that I got to meet you at last. All my life, I've been told of the legend of the Suzaku no Miko, and now it's finally happened. It's all rather like a dream to me. Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's real."

"Life does have a dream-like quality sometimes. When my grandpa was alive, he made everything fun. Don't get me wrong, we worked hard, but it was fun too. Nothing has been quite the same since."

The water began to boil, Nozomi retrieved the pot from the fire, and poured the now hot water over the brown stuff in the glasses, and began to stir. When everything was nicely mixed together, she handed one to Hotohori, and took a sip out of her own. When she caught the suspicious look on the emperor's face, she laughed. "Trust me; you'll like it, so try it already!"

Tentatively, he took a sip, and realized she was right, it was very good. After saying so, he took the opportunity to bring up what he feared would be a sensitive subject.

"You know, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you're very different from when you first came here. When you were first here, you seemed reserved, withdrawn. Now, somehow, that seems to have disappeared."

"That's because I'm not sad any more. You, Tamahome, and Nuriko have put me in touch with something I had forgotten existed. I don't know how you did it, but the three of you have given me a place where I belong. And that's very precious to me. Quite frankly, I don't know how to thank you enough."

"How did we do that?" He was very confused.

"I'm not sure; all I know is that I've been searching for this feeling for nine years. I had only one friend during my years in school, and she was four years younger than me, and to this day has no idea of my special abilities.

"Though I must say, I did nothing to deserve her friendship. I pushed her away so many times, hurt her feelings so much. I'm surprised she still talks to me. It was my fault, but I always felt like everyone would have been happier if they didn't know me."

"I don't believe that. I myself have been so much happier since I met you, Nozomi."

"Thank you. That really means a lot. Most people thought I had no emotions whatsoever. So some of them would insult me, attack me in the middle of the lunch room, and sabotage my homework, every day, for seven years. Because I never fought back, not once.

"I thought my depression was because I didn't feel needed, so during the summers, I volunteered at animal shelters and nursing homes, but it didn't make a difference. And on top of everything else, I really hated it. The nursing homes especially, because everyone there is either so drugged up they're practically comatose, or bitter and angry at life. I almost got more abuse there than I did at school. Well, verbal abuse anyway."

"Why did you continue to go?"

"I was that desperate for human contact. Even insults from angry old ladies were better than my own company. Besides, I couldn't really get any more depressed than I already was. And there was always the possibility that under the insults, one or two of them might have been glad for the company too. They were almost never visited by anyone they knew, so it's possible."

"You didn't have anyone you felt like you could turn to? No men you were interested in?"

Here Nozomi finally erased her serious expression and outright laughed. When she spoke, the sad note had left, leaving only a slight amusement. "No. You see anyone who didn't insult me, didn't know I existed."

"That can't be right. I'm sure they knew you existed. Ignored you maybe."

"You want an example? Our last year in school, a boy in my grade, who had had all his classes with me, five days a week for seven years, came up to me in the library one night and told me that the curfew for first years was at 7:00, and to go up to the common room before he gave me detention."

"What'd you say?"

"I showed him the book I was reading, which happened to be the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7, and said, 'Tony, I'm older than you.' He asked for proof, so I gave him the exact date of both our birthdays, and just to be a brat, asked if he needed to see my birth certificate. But enough about me, let's hear about you for a change."

"I've never had any friends. When I was younger, I had to study all the time so I would be ready for the throne. And as the future emperor, all the other children my age were considered beneath my notice, so I was forbidden to even talk to them."

"What about your parents? Couldn't you turn to them?"

"My father was too busy with affairs of state to visit me much, and he had many other children too. My mother…well, I was never good enough for her, the only thing she ever had to say to me were insults, how I was never going to amount to anything, I was too stupid to be the emperor, and the only reason she wanted me to inherit the throne was because of the position it would give her." Hotohori paused as Nozomi reached out and took his hand in hers in a comforting gesture.

"My father died when I was fourteen. At first I was nothing more than a puppet with my mother pulling the strings, but then she died, and I was all alone. At least while my parents were alive, I had something of a family. But after they died, I was a solitary bird in a cage, no contact with anyone other than my advisors, and, well, you know what they're like."

"Yes, unfortunately I do know. Why do you think I was so insistent that you come with us? You need a break from them. The only question now, is what are you going to do with your newfound freedom?"

"Why do you ask?"

"For the simple reason that your cage is open. You're leaving on a journey in the morning, away from any expectations of behavior. You will have complete freedom to be yourself starting tomorrow, and I was just wondering what you're going to do with it."

"I don't know, somehow I think that I'll never be completely free to be myself."

"Okay, that's it, put down your hot chocolate and come with me." She commanded.

"What are you going to do?"

"Show you what I would have done if your advisors were still making a stink about you coming with us."

Intrigued, Hotohori put down his half finished drink, and walked closer to Nozomi. She took his hand, and led him outside. Drawing him closer, much to his surprise, she let her wings out, and under the cover of night, they flew far away from the palace. The sensation was wonderful. He felt weightless, powerful, the breeze stroking his face and hair was soothing, and the situation was only enhanced when he heard Nozomi's voice say lightly in his ear,

"So my dear, where do you want to go?"

Savoring the sound of her voice, as well as the surprising endearment, he took a long time in replying.

"I have to be decisive all day, everyday; this time I'm leaving the decision to someone else."

Chuckling, Nozomi complied. She soared higher and higher, taking him far enough up that he could see almost the whole of Eiyo. The view was breathtaking, along with everything else about this trip through the clouds. Soon Nozomi started singing a tune that seemed to fit the situation perfectly. A deep sense of peace overcame him with the sound, which seemed to go straight to his heart and innermost self.

"What are you singing?"

Looking a little embarrassed, Nozomi explained. "It's called 'A Whole New World.' It's about a man and a woman's feelings as they go on a magic carpet ride. I thought it fit."

"What happened to the man and woman?"

"Well, the woman was a princess, and the man was a simple commoner who disguised himself as a prince so he could marry her. Eventually she fell as deeply in love with him as he had with her, and she convinced her father to change the law so they could get married. But the first time she began to fall in love with him was when he took her on a magic carpet ride over the town."

"Yes, I think it fits." It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like he'd made her blush. Success had never felt so good. "Would you finish singing it?"

Still blushing slightly, Nozomi resumed her singing. Once again a feeling of peace came upon him, and he relaxed in her arms. It surprised him how easily she held him, even though he weighed more than she did. It was extremely easy to trust her with his safety.

As Nozomi finished up the song, she landed gently on top of a small clearing. It was a grassy area, with the subtle fragrance of nearby wildflowers wafting in on a slight breeze. The most spectacular thing about this spot, however, was not the gentle smell, or the expanse of green lawn, but the view of the city, and the woman next to him. She stood close to him still, looking out on the city.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she whispered quietly. "The air is so clear here, and everything is in harmony. In my world, it's almost like the buildings and other man-made objects are battling with nature for space, but here everything seems to cooperate much better."

"Yes, it is certainly beautiful, but to me, you are much more pleasant to look at than the view." Nozomi looked up at him, clearly startled. "Nozomi, there is something I have tried to tell you every time we have had a chance to talk, but I've always been interrupted. I want to tell you now."

Gathering his courage, he continued. "I told you that I've heard and known of the legend of the Suzaku no Miko my whole life. As a child, I had hoped that the strange girl from another world would be the one to love me as a man, not as the next emperor of Konan.

"Now you're here, and you're everything I imagined, and so much more. I love you; I've loved you for as long as I can remember. When all this is over, I want you to be my Empress. I won't force you into anything you don't want to do, but I am determined to make you fall in love with me."

Nozomi's feelings upon hearing this declaration were in complete and utter turmoil. She felt grateful, flattered, confused, an odd warmth, and startled all at once. She opened her mouth to speak, but found she had no idea what to say, or what she ought to say.

Without seeming to know what she was doing, she plopped down in a sitting position on the soft grass, where Hotohori kneeled next to her in concern and anxiety. Eventually, she realized that she had to say something, so with the deepest of efforts she scrambled to find something appropriate to say.

"I'm sorry, I'm just in shock. It's certainly not everyday that a handsome, kind, considerate and all around great guy tells you he loves you. I just…don't know what to say. I feel like I should, but I don't know where to start. I guess you could say I'm befuddled."

Hotohori smiled reassuringly at her. He didn't want her to feel pressured, after all. "That's okay; you don't have to answer right away. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I've been trying to tell you for so long that it's a relief to finally succeed." An attractive frown settled on his features as a thought struck him. "But shouldn't you say beautiful, rather than handsome?"

Smiling a little, for she had heard his narcissistic remarks before, she said, "I didn't know which adjective you'd prefer. Not many men I know would like to be called beautiful. But I want you to know that I like you, I really do, I just don't know if it's love." She seemed very anxious. Once again, he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Nozomi, you don't have to be nervous around me. I respect you as a person, and I'm not going to push you. I just needed to tell you how I feel, and tell you that I hope for a return of those feelings."

She looked uncertainly at him. "So I don't have to be all uncomfortable around you?"

"Please don't." He was still smiling at her. "I imagine that would make our journey a very long and uncomfortable one, don't you?" Sighing in relief, she agreed. After that exchange, they both sat side by side in companionable silence, looking over the city they were to leave in the morning; before heading back to the palace where they slept soundly, each with pleasant dreams of being held in a loving embrace.

**End of Flashback**

Absently, before Hotohori drifted off to sleep, he wondered if Nozomi's feelings had changed any since that day…


	10. Female Problems And Problematic Females

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author's Note: Hey hey hey! Rough draft is now 114 pages in word! I'm having trouble with this story though. I had the whole thing outlined and planned out before I started writing, but Nozomi is a stubborn heroine, and refuses to follow the plot. So I've been improvising because, a) she won't take no for an answer, and b) I've come to realize that she is actually much smarter than I am, as my plot was far too boring and uneventful. So that's why the updates have been slower than I planned. But I am not abandoning it! So never fear, and please feel free to shower me with ideas. I might not use the exact one you give me, but it might spark another idea in my head.

Female Problems…And Problematic Females.

It was midday before they reached the village, the sun beating down on everyone's backs, while farmer's worked, and others rode on horseback, like Nozomi and her four companions. Even with the almost unbearable heat, everyone seemed in a very good mood. All but one.

With a sense of worry, Nozomi saw a faint shadow sitting in the alley next to them. She could be mistaken, but it looked like a young child, crying. Surprising Hotohori and the others to no end, she quickly dismounted, and went to investigate. Sure enough, it was a young girl, no more than six years old, crying softly. Nozomi reached a hand out to comfort the youngster, who jumped at her gentle touch. "What's wrong?"

"I c-can't find m-m-my way h-home." She sobbed, looking desperately into Nozomi's eyes.

Smiling reassuringly at the youngster, Nozomi said, "Well, we'll solve that easily. Here, hold my hand, and we'll find your parents, okay?"

So, hand in hand, they walked out to the bright sunshine, and into the view of the worried warriors Nozomi had so suddenly left. "She's lost." She said by way of explanation. "I told her we'd help her find her parents."

Once they'd ascertained that the girl didn't know anyone around here, they asked her what her parents' names were, and started asking the adults if they knew where the couple lived. Soon the whole village knew about the young girl's plight, and was touchingly concerned about her.

When the small child revealed that her parents were only passing through on business, all of the adults directed them towards the only inn in the village. Once there, they asked the receptionist if the girl's parents were guests, and to their relief, they were. Her father was out looking for her, but her mother had stayed in case she returned. The receptionist was busy, though, and didn't have time to show them to the room, so she called for her assistant.

"Boy! Quit studying, I have a job for you!" Soon the pattering of little feet was heard coming towards them, and a small boy appeared, though he didn't look like a boy at first glance, and didn't look much older than the girl they were escorting to her parents. "Show these people to the Chou's room."

"Yes, right away, ma'am. Come this way, please." And their miniscule guide promptly proceeded to twist and turn through the corridors, taking them through obvious shortcuts he had found while working here, finally stopping after what seemed like endless changes in direction. "This is the Chou's room." The boy made as if to go, but Nozomi quickly stopped him.

"I'm sorry, but could you stay for a little bit, otherwise I'm sure we won't be able to find our way out."

Looking her in the eyes for the first time, the boy blurted out, "Of course, Miko-sama" before he'd even thought about it. Everyone was shocked, but by unspoken mutual consent, no one mentioned it until their charge was safely delivered into the delighted arms of her mother. When the door was closed once more, Nozomi turned to the boy.

"How did you know that I'm the priestess?" Her voice held no accusations, only curiosity.

"My symbol started glowing when I looked at you." Everyone jumped at the word 'symbol'. "Didn't you know? I'm the Suzaku warrior known as Chiriko." And Chiriko lifted up his robes slightly to reveal the shining character for 'stretch' on his left foot. No one knew what to say, until Tasuki interrupted the moment of tension with characteristic bluntness.

"_You're_ the fifth warrior? Yer about six!" Everyone in the group either sweatdropped, or shook their head at the bandit, except Chiriko.

"I know I look very young for my age, but I am 13. My warrior gift is intelligence. And to answer your next question, I would be honored to come with you and serve you as one of your celestial warriors, Miko-sama."

Hesitantly, Nozomi smiled at the young boy in front of her. "That's wonderful, Chiriko, but what about your parents? I can't imagine they'd want their son wandering around the country, looking for two more warriors."

"I only have an elderly mother and an older brother. My brother can take care of things. They only made me take this job because they thought so much studying was bad for me."

"When do you get to go home?"

"Not until evening, Miko-sama."

"Please, call me Nozomi. I can never get used to the whole –sama thing. We have another stop to make in this village, so do you mind if we come back and get you after you're done working? Then we'll go and talk to your mother."

"That's fine. And I'm sure my mom won't mind. She's known that I would have to go eventually."

"Well, I'd still like to talk to her. We'll be back in time to walk you home."

With that, they left Chiriko to continue his job, or studying or whatever it was that he did, and Tasuki grudgingly led the way to his childhood home. As they approached the neat, modest house, they spotted a red headed woman chopping firewood. Unnoticed, Tasuki crept to the back of the group.

"Excuse me, miss." Nozomi interrupted politely. "My name is Nozomi Elendi, I'm the Priestess of Suzaku, and these are the warriors I've found so far. Could I talk to you for just a minute? I won't take up much of your time."

The woman looked over her appraisingly. "If you're looking for that no-good brother of mine, he's not here. He's over on Mt. Reikaku, pretending to be a bandit."

Trying not to show her surprise at this description of Tasuki, she said, "That's actually not why we're here, we've already found Tasuki as a matter of fact, he's…"Nozomi looked around for him. "Wait, where is he? Oh, there he is, back there."

At her words, Tasuki inched into his sister's view, and the two immediately got into a verbal fight more ferocious than most physical battles, though they did nearly come to blows a few times, and not necessarily with fists. Amazing what a young woman can do with a log. The other four people just stood back in astonished silence. Finally Tamahome broke their silence, though he could barely be heard over the brawling siblings.

"Damn. No wonder he hates women." Silently sweat-dropping, everyone nodded their agreement. Nozomi tried shouting to disrupt the fight that was still going strong, but no one paid any attention. She tried to think of a way she could gain their attention. _'Shouting didn't work, and I'm not risking life and limb just stepping into the middle of that, let's see, disc-man, no, pepper spray, definitely not, money, no, wand…yes, I could do something with the wand, but what? Ah! I know!'_

Lifting the wand high above her head, it released a sound much like a gun going off, effectively stopping the argument in its tracks. "Thank you. I'm sorry to interrupt this really touching reunion, but I need to talk to you." With that, Nozomi didn't give the woman, whose name was apparently Aidou, the chance to respond before practically dragging her into the house. With Tasuki leading the way, the men followed suit.

Once inside the house, Aidou shook herself free. "Really, miss, you didn't have to drag me."

"Yes, I did. I didn't want you and Tasuki to fight anymore. And well, I need to talk to a woman. No men."

Shrugging, Aidou agreed. "Alright, miss, I'll take you to my mother. The rest of you can stay here, and make yourselves at home."

After the women left, the men shamelessly tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, only to be punched out by Nuriko. Except for Hotohori, of course, who was too dignified and respectful to look like he was eavesdropping anyway. He couldn't hear much, only a single word here and there.

'_Pills…pain… cycle. What are they talking about? Nozomi said it was a personal problem. What kind of problem could she not tell me about? She knows I love her, I'd never hurt her, why can't she trust me with this? And how can she be so sure I couldn't help her? And why'd she say pain? Is she in pain? Is there something wrong with her? Oh, why won't she tell me?'_

After the third time Nuriko had to punch Tasuki away from the door he was trying to eavesdrop through, an amused feminine voice interrupted.

"Hey, I don't know who you are, but I like you already." All warriors, except Tasuki, who merely groaned, turned around and inspected the woman standing in the doorway.

She was obviously one of Tasuki's many sisters, as she had the characteristic fire red hair, and fair skin. She was, however, much older than Aidou or Tasuki.

"What are you doing here?" Tasuki rather rudely demanded.

Without a word spoken, she slapped the back of his head so hard, it was surprising he didn't get whiplash. "Is that any way to speak to your sister? And besides, I didn't know you were here, Shunu-_chan_, I came to see mother. Now where are your manners? Introduce me to your friends." At Tasuki's reluctance, she slapped him again and demanded a little more forcefully, "Now!"

One by one he introduced the warriors. "And guys, this is my oldest sister Lian."

"Oh, is the priestess here? I want to meet her!"

"She's in with Mom. Apparently she needs to have 'girl talk', and we're not allowed in."

"Hmm…I think I probably know what they're talking about."

Everyone perked up, including Nuriko, because even though he knew what it was, he was surprised that Lian had picked it up so quickly.

"Yes, she must be asking Mom exactly how to put up with you." When Tasuki's face reddened in anger, she smirked in victory and added, "Just kidding. Had to see if I still had it. Can't let you have too much fun, eh, little brother?"

Just as Tasuki seemed ready to explode, another voice broke the tension. "Hey Lian! Is Mom in? I need to talk to her about spoiling her grandchildren! Honestly, enough is enough." As she entered the doorway, she spotted the others, and her gaze lingered on Tamahome. "Oh, hi there. I didn't realize we had visitors." She sauntered up to Tamahome, clearly checking him out. "I'm Mai. Who are you?"

By this time, Tamahome practically matched Tasuki's redness. "T-T-Tamahome."

Walking slightly closer, she practically purred, "Nice to meet you, Tamahome."

Rolling her eyes at her sister, Lian walked up and pulled the flirty girl away from the ever grateful warrior. "Control yourself Mai, or the poor guy's going to explode. Not to mention you have no right. Your flirting days are over, little sister."

Sighing, Mai agreed. "Such a pity that I'm married."

Yet another voice interrupted the already chaotic surroundings. "Xian-shi not proving enough of a challenge for you Mai? Don't say I didn't warn you!" Smiling at the guests, the newcomer continued. "Don't mind Mai, she just married someone who is far too weak-willed for her. Since she's bored, she takes up flirting." Bowing to the assemblage, she introduced herself. "I'm Paliu, it's nice to meet you all.

"Ahh, Shunu-chan, you're back? Did you get tired of those smelly bandits and come back to the family you never should have left?"

"Shut up, sister! For your information, I did not want to come here."

Hurt flashed briefly in Paliu's eyes, but she quickly covered it up. "Come on, when you're gone, I don't have anyone to pick on."

Tasuki muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Bother your kids for a change."

Brightening up in a way that was a little frightening to all the men, not just Tasuki, she declared with enthusiasm, "That's alright; I'll just have to make the most of it when you are here!"

Before anyone could react, she had grabbed the lapel of Tasuki's jacket, and dragged him outside. Vaguely, you could here her gleeful shouting of, "I'll get the bandit stink off you!" followed by slightly sadistic laughter.

The remaining girls were clearly trying not to laugh, and Lian arranged her features into a fake sympathetic look. "Poor Shunu-chan. He would have been better off with our merciful teasing, eh, Mai?"

Nodding in agreement, Mai responded, "Yes indeed, at least we know when to stop. Paliu has far too much energy." Turning to Tamahome, she scared the warrior out of his wits, as she had a look far too reminiscent of Paliu's before she dragged Tasuki outside.

"Y-Yes?" he stuttered while trying to subtly inch towards the door and freedom. _'Damn, I haven't stuttered this much since…well…ever. She's way too scary. I really understand why Tasuki hates women.'_

Mai watched as his adam's apple bounced up and down in his nervousness. Oh, how she loved this part. In spite of what Paliu implied, she loved her husband very much, and was happy with him, but she enjoyed knowing that she was still woman enough to make a man sweat. Xian-shi understood that, the darling, and knew she would never take it too far.

Her face switching to excited innocence in a split second, she asked, "Where's the priestess, I want to meet her!"

Exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Tamahome visibly slumped against the wall in relief. Unfortunately, he didn't think he could speak right now. However, Hotohori saved him the trouble.

"She is speaking with your mother. She insisted that she needed to talk to one or all of you, but she won't tell us what it is."

"Oh, girl talk, huh? Well I'm sure Mom can help her. She gets that kind of thing a lot, you know."

"What do you mean?" Nuriko asked.

"There are quite a few girls in this village who live only with fathers and brothers. When they have a, shall we say, feminine question, they usually come to Mom."

With Tasuki taken prisoner outside, the two remaining women were surprisingly polite, and conversation continued fairly normally. Little did they know however, that Nozomi and the head female of the house had done a little eavesdropping of their own.

Quietly shutting the door when they realized the show was over for now, they tiptoed away, only to burst out laughing.

"Okay, come on, I'll give you the supplies you'll need now. If we leave them for too long, my daughters will start getting bored."

Trying to keep a straight face, and failing miserably, Nozomi said, "I don't think poor Tamahome could handle Mai getting bored again. I've never seen him sweat that much."

After about forty-five minutes of pure torture, and then polite conversation, Nozomi came out, profusely thanking a woman who could only be Tasuki's mother. "I hope you realize how much I appreciate this. I would have been in a very awkward situation if you hadn't helped me."

"When would it have become awkward?"

"Tomorrow."

"Cutting it kind of close. Though I suppose you were stuck with all those idiot bandits for three days, so it couldn't be helped."

"Not really. Thank you again. You have no idea how much it helped to be able to talk to you, and not just about _that_." Once everyone was out of the house, which wasn't accomplished until everyone had had tea together, Nozomi turned to them, a little confused, and said, "Where's Tasuki?"

Two men exchanged a dark look. "He's fallen to the enemy." Tamahome gravely declared.

Pretending she didn't know what they were talking about, since she didn't want them finding out that she had seen almost the whole interaction with Tasuki's sisters, Nozomi reiterated, "The enemy?"

"He has been kidnapped by an alien species." This, surprisingly enough, came from Hotohori, who in truth had been shocked enough at the actions of the women to half believe that they were aliens.

Rolling his eyes, for he had seen much worse in the harem, Nuriko translated. "Paliu dragged him outside, kicking and screaming."

A face poked out of a window, and a gentle, masculine voice said, "She usually takes him two fields over that way." Turning around, everyone saw Tasuki's father for the first time, who was pointing in the direction he meant.

"Thank you, sir."

"Better rescue him soon, or you might not be able to distinguish him from the field."

Not quite understanding his meaning, Nozomi thanked him anyway, and headed off in the direction he had indicated. The sight that met them made Tamahome's, Hotohori's, and even Nuriko's eyes widen in horror. Nozomi couldn't restrain herself in time, and ended up laughing, much to the surprise of the other three males.

"Oh no, that's not funny." Tamahome insisted.

"Indeed, I must agree. This is most heinous."

"Poor Tasuki." Nuriko said with his hand to his throat.

"I'm sorry, but it's not everyday I see a quick-tempered, macho man covered from head to toe in flower wreaths." Taking a couple of quick breaths and fanning herself, Nozomi calmed down.

She certainly hadn't been exaggerating. The only indication that it was indeed Tasuki under all those floral arrangements was the red-orange hair peeking between blooms and the curses issuing from the bundle of joy. Paliu appeared completely oblivious to his displeasure, and was happily humming while constructing another flowery monstrosity to wrap around her hapless sibling.

Tamahome, in a rare display of comradeship, started forward to rescue the unfortunate young man.

As he approached though, he failed to realize one important detail. His adversary was aware of his movements, and was plotting accordingly.

Paliu's movements changed not at all while she watched the blue haired one approach. Another helpless victim to pretty up. Sneaking a look to the priestess and her two companions, she evaluated the other male. He was pretty enough, unless he tried to interfere, he could escape her clutches. Her brother however, and his friend now heading this way both needed a lesson in fashion, Paliu style.

Once the man was within reach, and before even his matial arts trained senses could react, she pounced.

"You want to play too? Yay! Here's a necklace!" Unceremoniously draping the flowers around his neck, she then grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him into a sitting position. "You just stay right here, and I'll make more for you!"

Tamahome stood up, and reached for the necklace, fully intending on ripping it off and taking Tasuki with him. _'I'll have to remember to thank my sisters for not being like this. Damn women.'_

"Don't move, man."

Confused, Tamahome turned to his fellow warrior. "Why not?"

"It'll only get worse if you move. Trust me."

Trying, and failing to act tough, Tamahome scoffed. "Like I'm scared of one woman. We'll get away, and she can't stop us." As he talked, Tamahome ripped off the necklace, destroying it in the process.

"Idiot." Tasuki mumbled under his breath.

At the sound of falling flowers, Paliu looked up to see her handiwork being fully unappreciated. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to fall. A couple of pitiful sniffles completed the devastating picture.

Almost as soon as he saw the crushed female, Tamahome went into panic mode. He couldn't stand to see women cry. He never knew what to do. "Please, please don't cry, yell, scream, attack, whatever, just _don't cry!_"

Somehow managing a stern pout, Paliu managed one more sniffle before she started ordering him about. "Then sit down, and put that necklace back together. I worked hard on that for you. And wear this crown I just finished."

Fully frightened of the tears reappearing, Tamahome did exactly as she said. Not that she gave him a choice. When she put the flower crown on his head, she used some sort of feminine device to secure it in his hair. The darn thing couldn't come off even if he wanted it to. His subtle attempts to dislodge it all ended in failure.

"I told you not to move." Tasuki could look a little smugly at Tamahome, now that his position was worse than his own. Misery loves company, after all.

Watching from afar, Nozomi couldn't help but admire Paliu's technique. She had successfully subdued two of Suzaku's chosen warriors without a single show of force. If she just focused on that angle, she could almost contain the laughter that was earning her glares from both her companions, Hotohori in particular.

Nuriko was torn; the female in her was on Nozomi's side, admiring Paliu's technique. However, the growing male in him was shouting sympathy for Tamahome and Tasuki.

Hotohori however, with empirical decisiveness, had decided that this had gone on quite long enough. He strode forward to rescue his two fallen comrades.

Nozomi's hand on his arm stopped him mid-stride. "Judging by what we just saw, any male that attempts a rescue will only be trapped as well. I'll get them out." At Hotohori's indignant glare, she continued. "Don't worry; I'll be sensitive to their bruised pride."

Sneaking up behind Tasuki, she gently plucked his sakura crown from his hair, and dropped it on her own head. When he turned to look at her, she smiled and asked, "Ready to go?"

Ripping the flowers away from his person, Tasuki muttered, "About damn time." But Nozomi noticed that he was careful not to draw Paliu's attention. Once he was flower free, he threw a shocked Nozomi over his shoulder, and said, "Let's go." and took off at an amazing speed that had everyone's head spinning, Tamahome not far behind.

**The Campsite, That Night**

'_I don't tell you these things, Hotohori. You're not important enough to me for that. You see, I'm in love with Nuriko, so only she gets to know what I'm thinking and feeling. Goodbye, Your Majesty.' _

_Nozomi walked away from him, not responding to his desperate call, and when his hand reached out to detain her, it grasped only air._

Hotohori woke with a start. Soon relief flowed through him, causing his ragged breathing to begin to slow. It had only been a dream. Looking towards Nozomi to gain some comfort from her sleeping face, shock went through him again to find that she was not there. Following his instincts, he headed towards a more secluded area. After battling with stubborn bushes for a few minutes, he came to a clearing where Nozomi had her wings outstretched, and was looking at the night sky.

A gentle breeze brushed her hair, and carried a few stray feathers his direction. He also caught the slight scent of vanilla that seemed to be always near her. As he watched, she folded her wings, and then stretched them out to their full length again. Only when she began flapping them as if about to take flight did he speak.

"Wait." Thinking she was alone, Nozomi jumped at the sudden, but soft, voice. Turning around, though she already knew who it was, she looked enquiringly at the young emperor. Still softly, he spoke again. "You're not going anywhere, are you?"

"No, don't worry. I'm just stretching my wings; they get a little sore during the day. What are you doing up?"

"I woke up and noticed you were gone. I was worried."

"I didn't mean to worry you. I guess I'm still not used to people seeing my wings. I've hidden them for so long, I get a little nervous when they're out in the open." Nozomi paused to look at Hotohori more closely. "Are you cold? You're shaking slightly." Kneeling down, she picked up her discarded cloak the bandits had loaned her, and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Won't you be cold?"

"No. You see, I have a built in cloak." To demonstrate, she wrapped her wings around her body, effectively shielding it from the night. "These feathers are surprisingly warm. But you look like you need to talk. Am I right?"

"No." Nozomi arched an eyebrow. "Yes." She smiled, sat down, and patted the soft grass next to her. "I'm not sure what I need to talk about, really. Maybe nothing, maybe I just need to talk to you. You see, before I woke up, I dreamt that you walked out of my life forever, without a backward glance or a single friendly word, and there was nothing I could do."

"Oh Hotohori, come here." With those words, she pulled him in to a comforting hug, wrapping not only her arms, but her wings around him too. "I would never do that. I promise I will always have a friendly word and a smile for you." Slowly she let him out of her embrace, though she still grasped his shoulders. "How could I not? You've become like family to me, and family sticks together."

"Do you only think of me as family?"

"What do you mean?"

"I had hoped, if you remember, that you would come to regard me as more than family. I love you." This time Hotohori drew her in for a hug. "I know you like me, but do you love me?"

As Nozomi stumbled around for words, she unconsciously clung even tighter to Hotohori, and buried her face deeper into his chest. Right now, as her emotions and thoughts tumbled in an unbelievable mess, she needed his soothing presence, which if she hadn't been so nervous, would have told her something about her feelings for him.

Before she could form any kind of answer, they were trapped in a net.

"Well well, isn't this touching. Looks like we've interrupted a little love scene."

Nozomi glared at the rude man, who was currently sporting a massive black cloak. Still glaring at him, she burned the ropes of the net, only to have her fire bounce back and burn her.

"I wouldn't be trying that again, Miko-sama." He said with sarcasm dripping acidly off his tongue. "We know about your little fire trick, and have taken the necessary precautions. And as a bonus for waiting to catch you, we now have the emperor as well. Oh, the General will be pleased."

"And which General would that be?" Nozomi asked bitingly.

A nasty smirk settled on the man's features. "The General of the whole Kutou army, of course."

The only thing Nozomi had a chance to say before they were flown off into the night was, "Oh boy."


	11. Drunken Confessions

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Also, I do not own 'I Feel Pretty' from West Side Story. I own nothing.

**Please Read!** Okay, first of all, I'm very sorry if I got the symptoms of being drunk wrong. I've never been drunk, and I've only seen someone get drunk once, so I don't have much to go off of. (How sheltered am I? Answer: Very) Secondly, I might rewrite some things in past chapters; I've been getting this nagging feeling that I haven't concentrated enough on developing relationships. What do you guys think? And thank you to **Pei-chan** for pointing out something I hadn't caught. I had been thinking Hotohori would get nailed with something along the lines of a poison dart, only designed just to knock him out, not kill him, so hopefully the new wording is more clear.

Drunken Confessions

The two were unceremoniously thrown into the same dungeon cell. It was dark, cold, and utterly uncomfortable. As the metal doors clanged shut, the guard outside addressed Nozomi. "Try your little magic tricks all you want, the General himself prepared this cell for you, and none of your sorcery will work to open or destroy it. I suggest you rest now. The General will want to speak with you first, little Priestess."

Nozomi spent the next hour or so trying different ways to open the door. _'Alohomora didn't work, my fire bounces back, the reducto curse didn't work on either the bars or the walls, I summoned the keys, but I can't touch them without getting burnt. I tried using my wand to put the key in the lock, but I don't have enough control to get it in. How I wish I'd taken Professor Dumbledore up on his offer to learn how to apparate now! Heck, I just plain wish that Professor Dumbledore was here; he'd know what to do. What else can I try?'_

Hotohori watched as Nozomi got more and more frustrated after each effort to get them out. But he was also a little fascinated as well. _'This is the longest demonstration I've had of her magic. I never knew how much skill it takes to get it exactly right. Even now she's starting to sweat from concentrating so hard on getting the key in the lock.'_ Aloud he only said, "Nozomi, maybe you better rest for a little bit. You're only getting frustrated. You need a clear head for this kind of thing."

She gave him a wan smile and sighed. "I suppose you're right. I just don't like feeling helpless." Heads turned as, at the end of her declaration, a door at the end of the hall banged shut, and heavy footsteps were heard approaching. Within seconds a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man in heavy armor stopped in front of their cell.

"So this is the Priestess of Suzaku, and the Emperor of Konan. Mere children. One would think that Suzaku would pick a stronger girl to fulfill the legend. Though my guards tell me that what you lack in physical strength, you make up for with sorcery. But as you can see, I am stronger than your paltry tricks. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing what strength of character you have when I torture you." With that, the cold, seemingly emotionless man motioned to the guard. Before anyone could react, a nearby guard grabbed Hotohori's arm and pulled it through the gap in the bars, hitting his head against the hard iron, and the General himself came inside, separated Nozomi from her wand, and drug her off to a different room for interrogation.

**One Hour Later**

Hotohori regained consciousness with a groan. _'I've heard of hangovers from sake, this must be what it's like. I feel like my head's going to explode.'_ With one look around the room, he ascertained that he was alone. Panicked, he turned to the nearest guard. "Where's Nozomi? What have you done with her?"

Smirking, the man took his time in answering. When he did, his tone was condescending. "The General's not done talking with her. She must be giving him a little trouble, his interrogations don't usually last this long. But she'll break. They always do."

This of course, put horrific images of Nozomi broken and sobbing on the ground in front of the unforgiving and uncompromising General in his mind. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to do something, but not only was his brain still fogged by the aftereffects of having his head used as a battering ram, there was quite simply nothing he could do. The only thing he could think to do was to pray to Suzaku to give Nozomi strength. And so that is exactly what he did.

"Damn it! Where the hell could they be?" Tasuki screamed at no one in particular. They'd been searching for Nozomi and Hotohori for two days now, with no luck. It was like they'd vanished into thin air. The only thing they'd found were a few white feathers in a clearing, which might or might not have been from Nozomi.

Being the most sensible one in the group, Nuriko suggested they proceed as if those feathers did belong to Nozomi, and continue in the same direction they did, even if the trail ended after only a few feet. But, after going this long without a single trace of them, all the men were starting to get frustrated. And rightfully so, seeing as the trail was leading them in the exact opposite direction they needed to go…

Light giggles were heard at the end of the hall leading to the dungeons. The guard watching Hotohori looked at the source of the noise and his jaw dropped to the floor. "Oops, I tripped." A feminine voice slurred happily. At that, Hotohori's eyes widened, for he knew that voice.

"Yes you did. Come on, just a few more feet, and then you'll be able to rest." This time it was a man's voice, his amusement fighting for release.

"Hey! Hands off, I can walk."THUMP "Maybe not." A stumbling Nozomi with two guards supporting her came into Hotohori's line of sight.

"Nozomi, what did they do to you?" Upon hearing Hotohori's voice, Nozomi turned inquiringly in the exact opposite direction of the cell. The guard's snort of laughter was quickly stifled in favor of answering the emperor's question.

"The General decided that since his normal methods of persuasion had no effect on the girl, liberal amounts of sake would loosen her tongue."

"And did it?"

Another laugh nipped in the bud. "Not the way he wanted it too. And I must say, I for one enjoyed watching, and would like to keep her."

"What did she say to him?"

Before the guard could reply, Nozomi decided it was time to add her two cents. "I told tha' ice queen exac'ly what I though' of him…or her, I haven' decided ye'." When the men just looked confused, Nozomi elaborated. "Sat General person's either a really feminine man, or an ass-ugly woman. Anyway, I looked 'im straight in the eye, an' I said, 'I used ta be like you, so I'm gonna give you a liddle advice. I don' know who died and shoved that stick up your ass, but it's a lot more fun bein' nice.'"

Hotohori looked at the guards in disbelief. "Hey, if I didn't see it and hear it, I wouldn't believe it either. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Nozomi pulled the guard's sleeve to get his attention.

"Hey, he didn' like that too mush, did 'e?" Surprisingly gently, the guard disentangled the drunken miko from his side, and handed her over to Hotohori.

"Anyway, she's all yours to sober up for now." At which statement, Nozomi turned around in Hotohori's arms indignantly. Shaking her finger at the laughing guards, she slurred out a response.

"I'm no' as think as you drunk I am." She paused for a moment, struggling to think. "Yeah."

A full blown smile on everyone's face now, the guard shook his head, and wished Hotohori luck before leaving with his companion.

Turning her gently back around Hotohori looked into her glazed eyes. _'What do I do with her now?'_ Nozomi interrupted his thoughts.

"Hotohori, since when do you have a twin?"

'_I guess first of all we should sit down.'_ He accordingly guided her to the floor, so she could lean against the wall for support.

"You smar' boy, the room's no' spinning as mush."

A sudden thought occurred to the young emperor. "I could probably ask you anything right now, and you'd answer me honestly, wouldn't you?"

Without a second thought, Nozomi answered. "Yep. You know, alcohol reduces a person's inhibitions as well as their reflexes an' fine motor control." Sitting beside her, Hotohori began his own interrogation.

"What did the general ask you?"

"Boring stuff. He wanted to know abou' my world, and how I go' from there to here. I think he wanted to try and go there. I don' see why he would, it's mush nicer here."

"What did you need to talk to Tasuki's family about?"

Nozomi looked carefully around her, then leaned forward as if to tell Hotohori a great secret. She then proceeded to explain all about her pills, and getting them stolen. By the end of the speech, Hotohori was red with embarrassment, and wished he hadn't asked, yet at the same time, glad he did. But then, he paused, something didn't make sense.

"But you talked to Nuriko about it, didn't you? Why couldn't she help you?"

"'Cause Nuriko's a man, silly. But shh! I told him I wouldn't tell anyone, it's a secret."

Once he'd recovered from the shock of this information, which took not only time, but several requests for Nozomi to repeat the information, Hotohori interrupted Nozomi's humming with more questions.

"What are you most scared of?"

"Gettin' angry."

"What? Why?"

"Ya ever seen me when I'm angry? I'm scary. An' I tend to think firs' an' act later. Wait, the other way." With the last sentence, Nozomi started wildly miming in opposite directions with her hands until Hotohori stilled them and gently placed them in her lap.

While Hotohori tried to think of other questions to ask her, she volunteered some information.

"You know, you guys make it difficult to concentrate on gathering warriors."

"Is that what you've been trying to do?"

"Yeah. But I can't help but like you. And it doesn' help that I keep going back to my old school patterns."

"What do you mean? You haven't reverted to hiding your emotions."

"No, I mean protector. See, the advantage to being invisible is that you know lots of things people don' know you know. I could stand only a couple yards away from someone, and they'd never notice I was there. Ya hear a lot. Yep, that's wha' happens when you observe instead of participate."

"So how did you protect people?"

"I'll give you an example. There was a guy named Jeff. Reminds me a lot of Tasuki. Jeff had a little sister. He teased her mercilessly, but he really loved her very mush. Some very mean boys were planning to frame her for something she didn' do, something bad enough to get her expelled.

"I knew they were goin' to se' up the evidence after curfew, so I lef' an anonymous note to Professor Dumbledore, and Mr. Filch, the person in charge of catchin' people like that. Those kids got a week's worth of detentions for their troubles.

"Jeff never knew anyone had plotted against his sister, an' I never told anyone till now."

"Did you love him?" Hotohori tried not to let jealousy creep into his tones.

That earned a full-blown side-splitting laugh that took Nozomi several minutes to recover from. "No, but my friend Rose did. That's another thing I did. About three times a week, I'd find out where Jeff would be studyin' after dinner, and I found a way to force Rose to sit either next to, or near him. Hehe, she never caugh' on. She got kinda mad at me sometimes. Don' know why."

Suddenly Nozomi closed the gap that stood between them, and leaned against Hotohori's chest, and snuggled up as close as she could get without actually climbing on his lap. "Did I ever tell you you're really nice to snuggle agains'? So warm…"

Overcoming his surprise, Hotohori gladly wrapped his arms around her small form. _'Now. Ask now, or you might never know.'_ Clearing his throat, heart beating violently and carefully not looking at her, he asked, "Nozomi, how do you feel about me?"

"You're nice. So nice that if I weren't so hell ben' on not hurting Nuriko's feelings and finding the rest of the warriors I migh' even find I love you. But everyone I've ever loved has either left or rejected me. I don' wanna go through tha' again."

"Who left you?"

"My parents died. My mother's family didn't like Dad, so they refused to take me in. My grandpa died when I was nine, I was adopted by an English couple when I was ten, but when I got my Hogwarts letter and they learned I was a witch, they disowned me. I've taken care of myself ever since.

"Your heart's beatin' awfully loud. Ba Dum Ba Dum Ba Dum."

Hoping to steer her towards how he felt about her, Hotohori asked, "Why do you think it's beating loud?"

"'Cause you have a big heart. An' it's really strong."

"Your heart would be strong too, Nozomi, if only you'd trust it."

"Yeah. I really need to start doing tha', don' I? Because then I'd be able to tell you I love you when I'm sober!"

Hotohori felt like his heart stopped for about two seconds. "I thought you said you might love me, not that you definitely did."

Nozomi yawned before she answered. "My inhibitions weren' totally gone ye'. Now I'm no' only drunk bu' seepy, so they're all gone. Bye bye inbihitions!" She weakly waved a hand as if truly saying goodbye to someone.

Soaring happiness passed through Hotohori at that moment, only to be dimmed by a sudden realization. "Are you going to remember any of this in the morning?"

"Pro'lly not. Goodnigh' Hotohori." She leaned forward just enough to plant a light kiss on his cheek, and promptly fell asleep still wrapped around him.

He smiled at her peaceful expression, enjoying the feel of her warm body leaning against his. _'Well, I guess I'll just have to make you remember. Getting you to admit it will come in time.'_ Hotohori gently placed a soft kiss to her forehead before following her into dreamland.

The next morning, the guard who brought them their breakfast warned them that the General was going to talk to Hotohori that afternoon, and try to figure out some state secrets. Hotohori himself was the only one who heard this warning, as Nozomi was still out cold from her involuntary binge the night before. When she woke up, however, with a hangover from the devil, Hotohori confessed he was worried.

"You're worried you'll talk? Or about what he'll do to your beautiful face?" she asked with as much of a smile as she could muster.

"My beautiful face, of course!" He sounded appalled that she could even think anything else.

"Well, I can't do much about your face. But if you're worried about what you'll say, I can help you with that. There's a spell that would take away your voice until I perform the counter charm, it's fairly difficult, but I could do it."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've never tried it on a human before, but ravens are no problem, so it shouldn't take more than a couple tries to get it right for you."

"That would be wonderful, because if they try getting me drunk to talk, they'd know anything they wanted to. I talk even more than you do when I'm drunk."

The priestess started laughing a little, but stopped short as exactly what he said started to process. "Wait, what do you mean more than I do? What did I say?"

'_My turn to laugh.'_ And laugh he did.

"Really, I'm not playing with you, what did I say?" No difference in the emperor. "Okay, if this is about that time Tanaka-kun and I decided we were ballerinas and ran around in pink tutus in the middle of a Jujitsu convention, that was so not my fault." In response, the obviously completely insensitive and insane man laughed harder, almost doubled up at this point.

'_Maybe I better shut up now. Am I more pissed, or amused? I'll go with pissed till he stops laughing.'_ Aloud she only said, "Oooh, silencio!" Abruptly, the laughter stopped, though the motions continued until Hotohori realized that sound was no longer coming out. "Hey, worked first time, awesome!"

At the emperor's indignant look, Nozomi just laughed. "What goes around comes around, and you deserved it. Brat." When Hotohori continued to look upset with her, Nozomi tried to explain better. "I'm sorry, but it is easier to do if I actually want to you be quiet. So I used my wish that you'd stop laughing to good use. I'm sorry I cast it too soon for you, but this way at least we know it's in place, and they won't be able to get you to talk. Do you understand?"

With this Hotohori nodded, and kissed the back of her hand to show she had his forgiveness. She smiled at him, all the while thinking, _'So cute! Must cuddle!'_ repeatedly. Soon the urge grew too strong, and she pulled him into a hug reminiscent of a little kid with their favorite teddy bear.

'_I could get used to this feeling.'_ They both thought at the same time, and unconsciously sighed with content.

"Oh for God's sake, quit it with the cuddling already. Every time I see you two, you're practically plastered against each other." The two broke apart quickly to see one of the same people who had kidnapped them from their camp. "Come on now lover boy, the General is waiting for you."

Nozomi gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go entirely. Regally, Hotohori glided out of the cell as if it was his own throne room, and followed the man to where the sake sat in waiting.

"This is bogus! We've been traveling for three days and not one fucking sign of them! When are we going to fucking admit that we don't have a damn clue? For all we know they ran off and shacked up somewhere."

WHAM! Tasuki met dirt, compliments of Nuriko. "Neither Hotohori-sama, nor Nozomi are that kind of person. Nozomi said she'd see this whole priestess thing through to the end, and I believe her. She's the kind of person who keeps her promises."

"How do you know that? My experience with women is that they do whatever the hell they feel like. Damn women."

"I know because Nozomi has made two promises to me, and she's kept them. And they were promises I never asked for. She kept them because she knew it's what I wanted. A person like that just doesn't abandon her responsibilities or her friends."

"So you are the person she was protecting when she aggravated her leg injury in the city." Tamahome added. At Nuriko's inquiring look, he explained. "I met up with the slave traders just after you two escaped; they gave me enough information that I figured it out on my own."

"And she never confirmed or denied it, did she?"

"Not a word. And she kept her promise to never go out in the city again without an escort, and not at all while she was still injured."

"See Tasuki? I told you."

"Hmph. I still say this is a waste of our damn time. We would have found some trace of her by now if she'd gone this way, right? Damn it! We need to do something. I hardly feel like a man anymore! We have to protect her!"

Nuriko was saved a response by the glowing of Nozomi's two way mirror. An involuntary groan escaped him. _'When will they stop bugging us? I'm running out of excuses for Hotohori-sama and Nozomi not being here.'_

"Nuriko-sama! What is this I hear about Kutou having a public hanging of our priestess and emperor? Aren't Miko-sama and Heika-sama with you?"

"SHIT!"

A truly irate blonde general dragged a thoroughly trashed, silently laughing Suzaku warrior down the hallway leading to his cell. _'That damn woman did something to him, and I'm going to find out what!' _To the world however, he maintained his ever-present mask of cold indifference.

Once he reached the cell where a young woman was seen to nurse the migraine from hell, he motioned for the door to open, and he threw the man inside, startling the woman who was now the object of his scrutiny. "What did you do to him?"

For a moment he thought she wasn't going to respond, she remained motionless, staring at the floor and nothing else. But before he could demand her answer, she surprised him by looking up and smiling rather viciously. "Now general," she said coyly, "just because he wasn't receptive to your advances doesn't mean I did anything to him. I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason for ignoring you."

'_I hate women. They never give you a straight answer.'_ He could barely restrain a frustrated growl from sounding, or from frowning in front of at least three of his guards. "As you know, I have most effective methods of persuasion. Yet, he spoke not one word. Now tell me what you did to him."

"You may have gotten me so drunk I can barely remember last night, but I do remember enough to know that I never gave you what you really wanted. So why should he?" Her voice, he noticed, was laced with indecent suggestion, as if he had actually taken off his armor for her, and she had refused him. He could feel his pride bristling at that. _'Now the guards will never believe that I wasn't the poor bastard who got turned down by my drunken prisoner. And worse, the more I deny it, the more I will prove her implications in their eyes.'_

Belatedly unclenching his fists, he fought to control his temper. Even when she was drunk she had gotten on his nerves. Never before had he come across anyone who could annoy him as much as she. So he got particular satisfaction in imparting his next bit of information.

"Unless one or both of you talk before tomorrow morning, you will both be publicly executed tomorrow at noon." A cold smirk settled on his features. _'Now watch the bitch whine and plead with me to save her pitiful life. Let her go on about her duties as a priestess, and tell me about all her loved ones back in her world and beg me to have mercy. Which of course, I shall have none. If my mother had to die, then she does too.'_

"Famous bad guy words. You say that to get me to talk, I talk, and then you kill me anyway. I know the routine, and you can forget it. I'm not giving you that satisfaction. Now go away, I have to sober him up." The condescending bitch then proceeded to turn her back on him to tend her warrior.

Inwardly seething with an anger he hadn't known since that long ago day when his mother had died, he turned away, frightened that he would lose control. Control was the one constant his life held now. If he lost that, he lost everything he'd gained. Power was important, but without control, the power would wither. He'd learned that over the years.

Nozomi sensed, rather than heard him walk away, and so she finally allowed herself to shake as much as she pleased. _'Damn he's scary. And what the hell possessed you to say things that way! What's the use in antagonizing him? Not cooperating is fine, but why the hell are you making this harder on yourself than it has to be? Why are you making him more angry? Gah! Stupid!'_ After she'd finished scolding herself for her stupidity, Nozomi checked to make sure no one was around, and then removed the spell keeping Hotohori silent. Quick as a wink, sounds of breathless mirth filled the room.

"So…funny!" he managed to squeeze out. "You're always…so…funny!"

Still shaking from having annoyed the crap out of her scarier than hell, ice-block kidnapper, Nozomi was something less than amused. "Yeah, I just pissed off the one guy on the face of the planet who could kill us both in a heartbeat and not feel the slightest touch of remorse. This is freakin' hilarious."

At the dryness of her tone, his laughing had calmed down enough so he could talk without ten second pauses in between every word. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, I see he didn't damage your beautiful face." She was still scared from what had happened earlier, but as always, in spite of everything else, Hotohori's narcissism brought a smile to her face.

"Yes, I do believe I'm more beautiful than ever, if that's possible." Looking at his reflection in a puddle of water on the floor, he continued. "Yes, indeed, I'm just so damn pretty."

Upon hearing his emphasis on the word 'pretty', Nozomi came up with an idea that was quite possibly pure genius. A full-blown mischievous smile bloomed across her face, "You know, there's a song in my world called 'I Feel Pretty.'"

Suddenly all business, Hotohori plopped down right next to her, and put on a drunken impression of his 'emperor' voice. "Well, you must teach me this song right away, so we can both sing about my beauty to the whole world."

All the while thinking, _'Payback's a bitch.'_ Nozomi quite obligingly taught him the song. Within minutes, Hotohori was twirling around, preening himself and singing at the top of his lungs.

I feel pretty,  
Oh, so pretty,  
I feel pretty and witty and bright!  
And I pity  
Any girl who isn't me tonight.

Hotohori pranced over to Nozomi, and threw his arm around her shoulders before singing the next part.

I feel charming,  
Oh, so charming  
It's alarming how charming I feel!  
And so pretty  
That I hardly can believe I'm real.

Dramatically, he sighed, as if his beauty was such a great burden to bear. Standing up again, he posed as if he was indeed in front of a mirror.

See the pretty girl in that mirror there:  
Who can that attractive girl be?  
Such a pretty face,  
Such a pretty dress,  
Such a pretty smile,  
Such a pretty me!

Twirling again, he swiftly gathered Nozomi into his arms and began dancing with her. Both of them were occasionally tripping on the other's foot, as he was drunk, and she didn't know any of the steps to begin with. Not to mention she was shaking so hard with laughter it was hard to move at all.

I feel stunning  
And entrancing,  
Feel like running and dancing for joy,  
For I'm loved  
By a pretty wonderful boy!

I feel pretty,  
Oh, so pretty  
That the city should give me its key.  
A committee  
Should be organized to honor me.

I feel dizzy,  
I feel sunny,  
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,  
And so pretty,  
Miss America can just resign!

I feel stunning  
And entrancing,  
Feel like running and dancing for joy,  
For I'm loved  
By a pretty wonderful boy!

As the last line was sung, Hotohori dipped Nozomi so low she almost fell over, and her silent laughter was stopped in its tracks as Hotohori kissed her soundly on the lips.


	12. Meeting Death with a Smile

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author's Note: The long-awaited death scene! (for me anyway) Does anyone die? Read to find out! Buahaha!

Meeting Death with a Smile

The four warriors were pushing their horses to the limit, trying to get to Kutou as fast as possible, but none of them with any real hope of getting there in time. Chiriko leaned against Tamahome's chest, and sighed in worry. He hadn't known Nozomi long, but she had stood up for him in a way not many people ever had. His mind flew back to when she'd insisted on talking with his mother.

**Flashback**

"Go on, take the troublesome little thing. He won't be of any use. All he does is study all day long. And when he's not studying, he's whining. It'll be nice to have some peace and quiet around here."

Nozomi had stared at his mother in open-mouthed shock. Trying to defend her, he'd started explaining all about her illness, and how it was responsible for her attitude. He hadn't gotten far though, when he was interrupted by the topic of his conversation.

"Oh shut up boy, no one cares. You study all day trying to find an excuse why I can't stand to have you around and fail to realize that you're just plain annoying. As I said, girl, take the boy. I don't care."

His priestess had taken a moment to collect herself, during which time she put a hand on his shoulder. It had felt comforting, like he had an ally when dealing with his ill mother.

"Thank you, ma'am, for allowing him to come with us. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to insure the safety of your son." Perhaps it was his imagination, but he thought she had put a slight emphasis on 'your son'.

His mother snorted. "He's the one who should be protecting you. Don't you go doing his job, missy. He can suck it up and face his responsibilities for once."

For the first time, he saw Nozomi's eyes harden into the frostiest glare he'd ever seen. Her entire body was tense, her hand tightened around his shoulder, and her voice was stern, but her words were polite.

"In my experience, ma'am, in dangerous situations, protection is a collective effort. I have every confidence that Chiriko will be more than capable of holding his own."

"Whatever, I'm tired, go away now."

"One more question, and then we'll leave you be. Where is your eldest son? I imagine Chiriko will wish to say goodbye to him as well."

"Don't go interrupting his work, now."

"I promise you we will make it brief." For a second he thought his mother wouldn't answer, but even she must have realized that Nozomi was not taking no for an answer. Her body language practically screamed that she meant to have her way with or without permission.

His conversation with his brother was much more civilized than the one with his mother. He had always gotten along pretty well with him. The two were comrades-in-arms against their mother after all. Nozomi had promised his brother that she would insure his safety, only with much more warmth in her voice.

Once they were on their way, he had expected her to start insulting his mother, he was used to it, but he still didn't like it. But all she did was kneel down so she could look him in the eye, her flower tiara slightly askew, and asked, "Chiriko, has your mother always been like this?"

He shook his head. "She got really sick after Dad died. That was when I was about two. Onii-san says she was really happy and nice before then."

All she did in response was to smile at him, and pull him in for a hug. Standing up, she retained hold of one of his hands. "Shall we?"

**End Flashback**

From then on, she had kept a close, but not too close of an eye on him, and she'd been nothing but nice. She always included him in the conversation, like he really was an adult. For the first time, he didn't feel like an idiot when his symbol wasn't shining. He figured that was what his mother would have been like before she got sick.

In Nozomi's absence, Tamahome had taken over looking after him, and reassuring him. He appreciated it, but he still missed Nozomi. Looking up into the clear blue sky, he prayed that someone would save his new friends.

'_Kill me now. Put a sword through me, I'm done. This infernal pounding in my head is killing me anyway. It'd be an act of mercy.'_ Aloud, the only signal that the emperor was awake was a small groan. Without saying a word, for she knew what sound would do to his abused head, she put her cool hand on his forehead, and began massaging his temples with the other one.

'_Oh, slight relief. Someone is trying to ease the pain. Keep going, please.'_ Without consciously realizing what he was doing, Hotohori leaned his head against Nozomi's shoulder while she continued to gently apply soothing pressure to his temples. Gradually the pain subsided enough to where Hotohori could sit up on his own and drink the water that had come with breakfast. When that was finished, and he'd gotten a little food in his stomach, he turned to Nozomi.

"What in the world happened yesterday?"

"Are you sure you're ready to hear this? Wouldn't you like to have a little more food before you ask?"

"I'm already sitting down, and nothing you could say would hurt me more than this headache."

Looking at her watch before answering, she replied, "We have an hour before our execution."

Hotohori looked at her like he still hadn't quite processed the implications of that sentence. "What?"

"Yesterday when the general brought you back, he said if neither of us talked before then, we would be publicly executed at noon."

"Wouldn't he just kill us anyway?"

Smiling a little, Nozomi said, "That's exactly what I told him, and he didn't deny it. He just looked pissed and walked away." Seeing Hotohori's continued distress, no doubt increased by the news she had just shared, Nozomi inched forward and continued her previous ministrations to his temples. "I don't know if I'll be able to do anything to save us. But I'll do anything I can."

"Great. I'll be facing death with the worst hangover in the history of mankind." He said sarcastically. "And also, aren't I the one who's supposed to protect you?"

"There are millions of girls in my world. There's only one Hotohori. Seems to me it makes more sense for me to protect you. I haven't done a very good job yet, but I'm hoping for a chance to redeem myself."

"There may be millions of girls in your world, but none of them are you. You're just as irreplaceable as me. I think even more so."

More than a little embarrassed, and trying to steer the conversation into a lighter tone, Nozomi teased, "Yeah, I guess a cross-breed between a bird and a fish is rather hard to come across."

"Nozomi…" he said in a warning tone.

"Yes?" Wide eyes blinked at him in would-be innocence. _'She can't fool me; she knows why I'm upset.'_

"Don't play innocent with me. You know why I don't like that sentence. Your heritage is not the only thing that makes you special."

Clearly even more embarrassed, Nozomi tried widening her innocent smile. "How's your head?"

A small smile marring his stern expression, he struggled to continue scolding her. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You're changing the subject because you can't stand to hear yourself praised. I know you too well for you to fool me. I'm not always going to let you get away with it."

Meanwhile, during this speech, Nozomi was thanking every deity she'd ever heard of for small favors. _'Thank you that he can't remember last night. Thank you for giving me the perfect excuse for my embarrassment over that kiss. Thank you that his hangover is so bad he doesn't notice I'm blushing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!'_

Noticing that his priestess seemed to be staring off into space, he called to her. "Are you paying attention?"

Snapping out of it rather quickly, she focused back on him. "What? Oh, yes, sorry. Of course I'm paying attention."

Confused, Hotohori ignored the persistent pounding in his head to study her. She did look rather flushed. Perhaps she was sick? That would explain her uncharacteristic inattention to someone when they were speaking. Perhaps she was suffering from all the sake she had consumed the other day.

"Are you feeling alright? You're acting a little strange, and now that I look at you, you're very red. Do you have a fever?" Shifting closer, he put his hand on her forehead. It seemed alright, but moving his hands down to her cheeks, they were warmer than usual. _'And getting warmer by the minute. Is this normal?'_

Nozomi's heart started beating even harder as Hotohori's hands moved to cup her face, forcing her to look at him. The concern and love reflecting in his beautiful eyes made her catch her breath and even more color race into her cheeks. Her eyes drifted to his lips, reminding her even more forcefully of last night's kiss. Suddenly the urge she'd felt ever since then to repeat the performance, only better, became nearly unconquerable. As she slowly leaned into him, the small portion of her that was still sane, _'Or is it the insane part?'_ screamed at her to find a distraction.

As soon as Nozomi looked into his eyes, Hotohori knew he was lost. He was still worried that she might be ill, but with the unaccustomed color in her cheeks, and her slightly parted rosy mouth, she looked all too tempting. In addition, there was an expression in her eyes – which he had decided were neither green nor blue nor gray, but a combination of all three that looked oddly like the ocean – that made him hope she finally realized she cared for him as more than one of her warriors. His hands were still cupping her face, it would be all too easy to draw her in and taste her mouth…without consciously realizing it, that's exactly what he started to do.

They were mere centimeters from success when the clanging of the door at the end of the hall made them both jump. Nozomi's embarrassment caused her mind to shout at her _'Flee! Flee! And by the way, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!'_ Unfortunately there was nowhere to hide. So, she did the next best thing in her mind, turned around, and repeatedly banged her head against the wall. _'Idiot. You're acting like a 13 year old school girl with her first crush. What are you doing?'_

Hotohori watched worriedly as she walked to the wall and began abusing her head against the cell wall. _'I must have pushed her too hard. Why did I do that? I'm letting my eagerness get the better of me. I should apologize.'_ Having come to a decision, he strode over to where she stood, still impersonating a bobble head doll, and gently turned her around in his arms, fully prepared to apologize for scaring her.

The words died in his throat when she wrapped her arms around his waist and hid her head in his chest. After a few moments of just holding him, he heard her whisper something intelligible against the fabric of his yukata. "What was that?" he asked gently.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I said why am I such an idiot? And don't worry; I don't really expect an answer."

"Why do you say that? I don't think you're an idiot. Far from it."

"It's just…I don't know how to explain it. I feel like my brain's been put in a blender, and now it's nothing but a big gray squishy mess. Have you ever felt like that?"

"I can't say that I have. But knowing you're about to be publicly executed would put stress on the strongest person."

At this she gave him an ironic little smile. "I had thought I'd dealt with that knowledge already, and was fully prepared to comfort you when I told you. Now you're the one comforting me. You're amazing, you know that?"

When Hotohori started to protest, she stopped him. "No, I mean it. When I see what you've accomplished with your life, I'm so awed, and…humbled. You have earned not only my trust and admiration, but a deep respect. You're so gentle and caring, but you have so much strength, both emotionally and physically. You are quite simply the best person, male or female, that I have ever known."

As he gathered her into another hug, she added in a whisper that he heard anyway, "I'm glad I met you."

This time when the door opened, they paid no attention to it until a voice interrupted the tender moment. "Come on you two, it's time."

Nozomi held onto Hotohori's hand until the guard forced them apart to bind them. Giving him a reassuring squeeze before she let go, she allowed the guard to tie the ropes that were beginning to cut off her circulation. Testing them, even though she didn't really think it'd work, she tried burning them off. As she expected, the fire just burnt her instead. The guard snickered at her efforts, but otherwise made no comments. Except for one very surprising one.

"I'm kinda sorry we have to kill ya. You're the first person who ever put the general in his place. That takes either a lot of bravery, or foolishness. Either way, it was funny as hell."

"Er, thanks, I guess. I don't suppose anyone would care to tell me what I said to him?"

"Nice try. Now start walking."

In single file they were waltzed out into the open air. The sun blinded the two prisoners for a few seconds, as they were by now accustomed to the darkness of their cell. When their vision cleared, they saw a city square filled to the brim with people, and in the center, a large scaffold with two nooses.

Silently they were prodded through the throng of people, all watching the procession with interest. Mostly they were looking at the girl who was supposedly from another world. She didn't look all that interesting; she was even dressed like them. Well, except for her pants. Really, you'd almost think she was a man.

Both prisoners remained silent as they were led up the stairs to the nooses, and then fitted. During the General's short speech about who they were and why they were dying, Nozomi turned to look at Hotohori. She was shaking, and struggling not to cry, but as she caught his eye, she attempted a small smile. It was watery and weak, but it was there.

"Nozomi…what?"

"If I'm going to die, I might as well do it with a smile." As she struggled to maintain the smile, she had to sniffle and blink back tears. Hotohori felt his heart reach out yet again to this girl, who suddenly seemed so small and vulnerable. She was trying so hard to be brave in the face of a rather painful death. He felt ashamed that he had done nothing to prevent it, and that even now he could do nothing to free her, as he had left his sword behind in the campsite.

What Hotohori didn't notice though, was that only some of her tears were from her fear of dying. Some of them were because behind his back, she was attempting to burn his rope down, and the fire was burning her palms almost unbearably. But she kept at it. If she died, the burn to her palm wouldn't mean much. And she would much rather die knowing Hotohori had a chance to survive.

The good thing about when the floor dropped out from under them was that it distracted her from the pain in her palms. The bad part was she knew she didn't have much more time. Concentrating all her energy, she poured her own body heat into her hands, increasing the temperature of the fire. The flames suddenly turned a white-ish blue, and the rope incased in it began fraying in earnest.

Right before her vision went black; she saw his body fall down to the dark, soft earth below them. Her eyes closed with a real smile this time.

Hotohori met his death with the composure expected from one of his position. He focused all his energy on keeping his face expressionless while he felt the air slowly drain from his body. The air around him began to get hotter, he felt almost like he was on fire, but his face never betrayed how he felt. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness, when a floating/falling sensation came over him.

'_So this is what dying is like.'_ Then he hit soft dirt, and the noose dropped to the floor. Coughing, he didn't even realize the implications of this until he looked next to him, and realized that Nozomi had not fallen with him. Panicked, he looked up, only to gasp in shock at what he saw.

Nozomi's noose had disintegrated by a red glow that surrounded her and held her limp body high above the interference of the crowd below. Suddenly that glow surrounded him as well, and he was transported next to Nozomi.

Gathering her in his arms, he found that she was cold as ice, and breathing very shallowly. Holding her close, he tried to give her whatever warmth he could offer. Meanwhile, the red around them got more and more intense, until he couldn't see or hear a thing around them.

A young man in the audience sighed internally. This had been far too close of a call. When the priestess and emperor had gotten captured, his magic had been blocked. He could do nothing against the two men who took them away. The only thing he could do was follow them, and hope that somewhere, whoever was in charge would make a mistake.

Quickly surrounding her with a protective shield, he destroyed her bindings, and lost no time transporting the emperor next to her. Increasing his concentration, he summoned the reserves of his power and transported them all to the one place he knew they'd be safe.

Nozomi stood in a void, nothing around her but blackness. Slightly wondering what she was doing here, and where here was, she began aimlessly walking. After she had walked a considerable way, a voice called her name from behind. Turning around in surprise, she found Hotohori standing where she had originally started. Happy that he was here with her, she started running towards him. But the closer she got, the more he faded into the distance.

"No, wait, Hotohori! I need to talk to you! Please wait!" It was useless. With each passing second he became even fainter. To Nozomi, it seemed her heart was disappearing with him, just like that time nine years ago when her grandfather was taken from her. Only this time it hurt so much more. Stopping as she realized she wasn't going to reach him, she could only weakly say through the tears, "Wait…I love you."

She awoke to a bright light shining in her face. "Mou…turn off the sun!" she grumbled as she rolled over, dragging the sheets with her. _'Wait a minute, sheets? Where am I?'_ Slowly, she opened her eyes to find out that there was no actual light; she was just in a very bright room. "What?" Suddenly a very high pitched voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Wakey wakey! Taiitsukun will want to talk with you!"

Searching in vain for the cause of this rather annoying phenomenon, Nozomi looked down when something tugged on her sheets. A small girl with pigtails stood grinning up at her, entirely too cheerful in Nozomi's opinion.

"Who are you?" she asked rather bluntly. The small girl wasn't fazed by her rudeness, though.

"Nyan-Nyan!"

"Okay…" she struggled to comprehend the odd things that were happening. During her pondering, however, she realized one rather important detail. "Why am I naked?"

"Nyan-Nyan fixed your clothes!"

"Where am I?"

"No time! Get dressed! Get dressed!" At this, the Nyan-thingy grabbed her hand and dragged her with surprising strength towards a door Nozomi had not noticed. Haphazardly clinging to the sheet to preserve her modesty, she tried desperately not to trip on it in Nyan-Nyan's haste.

Unceremoniously throwing her in, Nyan-Nyan bid her to hurry, and banged the door shut. Seeing her clothes, which were indeed clean and looking brand-new, she hurried to dress lest someone come in unannounced (mostly Nyan-Nyan) before she was properly covered.

No sooner had she emerged from the room than Nyan-Nyan had grabbed her hand yet again, and was dragging her through a maze of hallways and grandiose rooms. When they finally reached their destination, Nozomi had no time to look around her, for she was panting a little and glaring at her companion.

"You just had to run, didn't you?"

Smiling much too brightly for her tastes at the moment, Nyan-Nyan insisted to the truth of that. "Yes! Yes! Run! Run!"

She had no time to mutter the obscenities running through her head because at that moment Hotohori gently put a hand to her chin, and lifted her face to look at him. Almost forgetting to breathe when she saw him, she wondered nervously if her new discovery was written all over her face for everyone to see. "Um…hi."

Looking at her rather reproachfully, his only response was, "At first I thought Chichiri was the one who saved both of us. But then he told me about your little stunt. You saved me, again, I might add, but did nothing to stop your own death. Why?"

She looked at him for a moment, debating what to say. _'I can't really tell him that I did it because his life is more important to me than my own. I can't tell him that I just realized I love him.'_ Not knowing what else to say, she gave him the best excuse she could.

"I couldn't do anything about my own bindings. But I could with yours. It makes sense, really." Hotohori arched an eyebrow at her tone. "Okay, so it sounds more like I'm trying to convince me than you, but honestly it did make sense at the time."

Thinking more in depth about what happened; more questions came to her mind. "Wait a minute. How come we can talk?" Feeling around her throat for soreness, she found nothing. "My neck's not bruised." Bringing her hand to her face, she saw her normal palm. "And I'm not burnt. What's going on?"

"Nyan-Nyan healed both of you." said a two-pack-a-day voice from the corner. Nozomi looked over and clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress a scream at the oldest, ugliest, she-male she'd ever seen in her life. Once she could trust her voice, she removed her hand and searched for another subject to comment on.

"Nyan-Nyan is very talented." Turning to the small girl who was still next to her, she continued. "Thank you." Looking back at the she-male with odd ribbons floating all around her, Nozomi continued her barrage of questions. "I don't mean to be rude but, who are you? And who's Chichiri? And just in general, what happened?"

Without any change in expression, she answered her questions. "I am Taiitsukun, ruler of this world. Chichiri is over in the corner there, he is one of your warriors. I'll let him tell you how he saved you in Kutou."

Nozomi looked over to the corner indicated, and yet again had to try and cover up her surprise. The man standing there was actually quite good looking, tall and lean, with blue hair. Part of it was pulled back into a ponytail like Tamahome's, but his bangs arched high over his face. It was his face that gave Nozomi pause. He was wearing a mask. But all those thoughts became immaterial as she realized one thing Taiitsukun said.

"You're Chichiri? One of the warriors of Suzaku?"

"That's right, no da!"

Smiling widely, Nozomi felt better than she had in days. "That's great! That means we've found six. Only one left! I'm Nozomi, Priestess of Suzaku." Like the first day she had come into this world, she forgot she wasn't in England, and extended her hand. At Chichiri's odd look, she realized her mistake. "I keep forgetting, I'm sorry." Then she made the proper bow. "Thank you, for saving both our lives."

"I wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for you, Miko-sama."

"Huh?"

"As I just finished explaining to Taiitsukun and Hotohori-sama, someone was blocking my magic, both when you were captured and when you were escorted to your execution."

"You were there when we were captured?"

"I've been watching you for quite a while now, no da! You would have had a lot more trouble with Kutou if I hadn't, no da!"

"So they were blocking your magic as well as mine. How did you get us out?"

"You did, no da! When you successfully burnt Hotohori-sama's bindings, it created a small hole in their defenses. Once that happened I could slip in and get you out of there, no da."

"Chichiri brought you here, partly because I wished to meet you in person, and partly because he knew I was the only one who had the power to heal you."

"What do you mean?"

This time it was Hotohori who answered her. "You were almost dead when we brought you here. You were cold as ice, plus the burn on your hand, the bruising around your neck, and you had other cuts on your body you hadn't told me about."

"Well, the general guy did torture me before he tried the whole sake thing."

"Okay, so why were you that cold? No one should be that cold unless they're dead."

"I don't want to tell you."

Hurt, Hotohori asked, "Why not?"

"Because you'll be mad."

Grabbing her shoulders, Hotohori tried to keep his voice even. "Nozomi, please?"

Not looking at him, she explained. "In order to burn through your noose before I lost consciousness, I had to superheat my fire a little, which means stealing it from my own body heat."

"So basically you froze yourself from the inside out?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Normally I can keep it up for much longer than that, but my body was already weak, so I could only manage those few seconds."

"What am I going to do with you?"

After thinking for a second, Nozomi suggested, "Feed me?"

Without another word, Taiitsukun started floating out the door. All looked at her in confusion except for Chichiri. Speaking up, he explained her actions. "Taiitsukun already has food prepared for us, no da! The dining room is this way."

Once everyone had gotten their fill of the delicious food, Taiitsukun began speaking.

"You know Nozomi, when you first came to this world, I thought that either Suzaku was crazy for picking you as his priestess, or that you weren't really the girl of legend. But I've been watching you. Now I think I understand why he picked you."

'_What do you say to that?'_ After a moment's deliberation, she said, "I will perform my duties as Priestess to the very best of my ability."

"I know you will. As I said, I've been watching you."

"I just thought of something." Hotohori piped up. "You've been watching us, so has Chichiri, and we've just learned that more Kutou spies than we ever knew about were following us as well. Anyone else we should know about?"

"Not that I've sensed, no da. And you're safe for as long as you're here."

"But we'll need to get back soon. I'm sure everyone else is worried about us."

"Yes, especially since one of the advisors contacted them asking about your execution." Taiitsukun informed them gravely.

"The palace advisors know about this?"

"Yes, why?"

Nozomi and Hotohori shared a look, then almost in complete sync, rolled their eyes and said, "Oh boy."


	13. Past Mistakes and Role Playing

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author's Note: We finally figure out why Nozomi has been ignoring her feelings for Hotohori! And the origin of the phrase 'Hell hath no fury…' Enjoy!

Past Mistakes and Role Playing

"Nozomi, I wish to speak with you before you go."

Turning to Taiitsukun, Nozomi paused in harnessing her horse. "What is it?"

"Not here, I'd like to speak privately."

"Of course, Hotohori, would you mind finishing up for me here?"

Hotohori walked over to her horse, having already finished with his own, and took the saddle from her. "Not at all. Try not to take too long, though, we need to leave soon." Nozomi nodded, and followed Taiitsukun back into her domain. Hotohori frowned. Nozomi had had trouble looking him in the eye ever since they escaped from Kutou, and it was bothering him.

Misunderstanding the reason for his frown, Chichiri tried to reassure the young man. "Don't worry, no da. Taiitsukun doesn't bite. I've trained under her for three years, and the scariest thing about her is her face, no da!"

Appreciating Chichiri's effort, Hotohori tried to smile. But his worries only increased when it was a much subdued Nozomi who returned to them. And this time he couldn't even hold her, for Taiitsukun had given each of them their own horse.

Over the next few days of traveling, a pattern developed. During the day when they traveled, Nozomi would keep up a light, superficial banter. At night when they set up camp, Nozomi would start the fire for them, and then leave to take a bath, usually not coming back until the fire needed more wood.

At first Hotohori objected to her going off to bathe by herself, considering her track record, but she wouldn't hear any of it.

"What will you do if you're attacked? Maybe by Kutou assassins again?"

Giving him a half smile she said, "I'll scream really loud." and walked away. And with that he had to be satisfied.

On the third night, with still no sign of the other warriors, Hotohori confessed his worries to Chichiri, though not willingly.

"You love her." It was not a question.

"Yes. At first we had a fairly easy-going friendship. But ever since we came back from Kutou she's been distant, much more uncomfortable in my presence, and she's been ignoring me."

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"Yes, before we ever left the palace. But she was never nervous around me until now. I'm worried, and I want to know what happened to change her."

"Have you tried asking?"

"I haven't had the chance. As I said, she seems to be avoiding me."

"Then I'll ask her, no da! She's not avoiding me."

Before Hotohori could tell him to stop, Chichiri had already run away, looking for their priestess, who was off bathing. Sighing, he was left all alone with his worries.

Silently Chichiri crept up behind Nozomi. She was lazily dipping the bottom fins of her red tail into the gently lapping water, while she sat on the bank. Everything about her body language declared that she was lost in her thoughts.

"That's not the correct way to fish, no da."

Startled, Nozomi turned around, and when she saw who it was, smiled a little sadly. "It wouldn't be a good idea anyway, seeing as I can't eat fish."

"Aren't you delaying the transformation like that though? Hotohori-sama told me you can only change back when you're dry."

"That's right. But this is the closest I can come to dipping my feet into the water. I was just…thinking."

"Have a lot on your mind?"

"Let's just say that even if Taiitsukun hadn't given me a lot of food for thought, I'd still have a lot of thinking to do."

"Why don't you tell him?"

"Excuse me? Tell who?"

"Hotohori-sama, tell him how you feel."

Though she had a pretty good idea what he meant, Nozomi didn't want to give up her secret unless she knew for sure. So she decided to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

"Tell him that you love him."

Sighing, she turned to face him. "Now how in the world did you know that? You've only been traveling with us for three days."

"You forget I've been following you for much longer than that, no da. It's amazing what you can figure out when you observe the way people interact."

Nozomi gave a derisive snort. "You're preaching to the choir."

Cocking his head in confusion, Chichiri said, "What does that mean?"

"Sorry, phrase in my world. Means you're trying to convince someone who already knows it's true."

"So why don't you tell him how you feel?"

"Three reasons." Chichiri waited for her to continue, but when it became clear she wasn't going too, he urged her to say something more.

"May one ask what those reasons are?"

"You're not going to let up until I tell you, are you?" Though he hadn't started the interrogation yet, Nozomi had no trouble recognizing the determination in his voice.

"Definitely not, no da!" At the cheerfulness in his tone, Nozomi groaned.

"You and Nyan-Nyan must have gotten along really well." Chichiri just kept smiling. Though granted, he was always smiling while wearing the mask.

"Okay, not necessarily in order of importance, the first reason is that Nuriko loves him too. Number two, I don't deserve him. And last but certainly not least, I don't think I'd make a very good Empress."

The monk sat in thought for a few moments before speaking. "I'm guessing the second one is the main reason." His only reply was a dejected nod. "Why do you think you don't deserve him?"

There was a slight pause before she answered him, and even then it wasn't much of an answer. "There's a religion in my world where if you do something you shouldn't have, you can go to one of the religious leaders, called priests, and confess. But whatever you say to them during your confession, they can never repeat to another living soul."

Knowing what she was getting at, Chichiri nodded wisely. "Consider this a confession, then. I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks. I'm guessing with everything else you know you've heard that my grandfather, my only living relative, died when I was nine." At Chichiri's nod, she continued.

"Well, when he was alive, there was this one man, who really didn't like either of us. I never knew why. Every time he saw us, he would throw insults our way, purposefully trying to get us angry. My first impulse was to rise to his bait, but every time Grandpa stopped me, saying that holding our heads high and with dignity would be the best way to make his actions seem as childish as they were. After time, I didn't feel the need to react, Grandpa and I would just go about our business like he wasn't there, taunting us.

"The day Grandpa had his heart attack, I took him to the hospital, and I got to be with him during the last few moments of his life. I had asked the nurses if I could step outside for a few minutes to deal with my grief.

"I hadn't been outside for more than a few minutes when that same man came by. I don't even remember what he said; only that it was about Grandpa, and it wasn't very nice. All I remember is feeling an explosion of grief and anger. The next thing I knew, doctors were pulling me off of his battered body, and I burst into tears."

Nozomi took a moment to collect herself, though she didn't look up from looking at the grass lining the river bank.

"Before I go any further, I should probably explain that magic in my world feeds off your emotions. That's why we go to school, to learn to control it, even if we get angry or scared. But mermaids are a little different, when we get angry, we start shooting fire. I can control it now, but I hadn't learned how back then.

"Everywhere I'd touched him, he had horrible burns. Even the doctors who pulled me off him burned their hands by touching me. Between the burns and all the bones I cracked and broke, I almost killed him. He spent two days in the intensive care unit."

Nozomi's voice almost broke at the admission, but she cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and continued.

"Everyone thought when I distanced myself from people; it was because of my grandfather's death. I thought so myself at the time. But now I'm wondering if it wasn't more because I was scared of losing control like that again."

As Nozomi fell silent, Chichiri pondered everything she'd said. _'How is it that her situation bears so many similarities to mine? Should I tell her about my past? Would that make her feel better?'_ At the thought, he cringed. He wasn't ready to tell anyone about his whole past, it was still too painful. But maybe he could let her know that she wasn't alone, without giving specific details.

Taking off his mask, he turned to her, and spoke in his normal, much deeper voice. "You aren't the only one to lose control and act on anger."

At the unexpected change in his vocal timbre, Nozomi looked up, and gasped. Under the mask was a large scar slashing across his left eye and then some. But that wasn't the only reason for her vocal response. Even with the scar, he was much better looking without the mask.

Internally, Chichiri sighed when she displayed the normal shocked reaction. He hated this part. His scar always disturbed people, which is why he wore the mask in the first place. For some reason though, no one seemed to take him seriously when he was wearing it. Of course that could also be because he spoke like a little girl on helium when he wore it, but that was beside the point.

Nozomi kept looking at him, and the more she looked, the more she got used to the scar. It did shock her, it looked incredibly painful, but she had gotten over her initial reaction to it. Now that she could trust her voice, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"You look better without the mask." At Chichiri's slack-jawed look, she tried to explain. "I mean, I don't think I really want to know how you got it, but it's pretty tame as far as scar's go."

"You've seen worse?"

Nozomi scoffed. "You haven't seen scarred until you've seen Mad-Eye Moody. Not only does he not have an eye, but he's also missing a nose and a leg. And that's only the beginning. I've never met him, but I've seen him in passing."

Feeling better about his scar than he had in ages, Chichiri stood up. "I better get back to camp. But Nozomi? I really think you should let Hotohori-sama decide if you deserve him or not. Don't stay out too long."

With that, the blue-haired monk made his way back to Hotohori, leaving a very thoughtful priestess behind him. When Hotohori looked up, his hopeful expression quickly turned into one of shock. "Chichiri? Is that you?"

He was confused until he realized that he still hadn't replaced his mask. _'Darn, she really must have made me feel better about it if I didn't even realize I hadn't put the mask back on.'_ "Yep, it's me."

"Do you know what's bothering Nozomi?"

"Yes. I'll conveniently disappear tomorrow so you can pry it out of her."

Frowning, Hotohori was going to argue, but then stopped as he realized that Chichiri was right. He needed to hear it from her, and not get his information second hand. Redirecting his impatience, he viciously poked at the fire to get it going faster.

For the rest of the night, Chichiri eased what would have been a very tense situation by turning himself into each of the warriors in turn, and doing such accurate impressions of them that Nozomi and Hotohori couldn't help but laugh. Not to mention his ultra-cute miniature version of himself. That happened to be Nozomi's favorite one, aside from his impression of Hotohori, of course.

Quite possibly her favorite part of the night, however, was Hotohori's reaction to Chichiri's impression of him. At first his face had displayed an awed admiration of the monk's abilities. But when he looked closer, his mouth had set in a grim line, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Drawing himself up to sit even straighter than he was already, he insisted, "I am far more beautiful than that."

In spite of all the worries plaguing her overworked brain, Nozomi couldn't help but smile. His narcissism was really too much. Chichiri, who wasn't quite as used to Hotohori's eccentricities, sweat dropped, and tried to insist that he couldn't look any more like Hotohori than he did already.

The next morning, they hadn't covered much ground before Chichiri's horse started to act a little sickly. In concern for the stallion's health, they decided to give him a rest. Tying up the horses, Hotohori and Nozomi plopped down and rested against a couple of tree trunks. It was a few seconds later that Nozomi anxiously noticed Chichiri wasn't anywhere in sight. She was getting seriously alarmed, after all, he had been right behind them, and his horse was still there, but Hotohori interrupted her panicked thoughts.

"He's fine. I told him you and I needed to talk, so he's giving us some privacy."

He could have been mistaken, but to him it looked like Nozomi paled a little and then muttered something that sounded a lot like, "Freakin' monk."

"Nozomi, we really do need to talk, you've been avoiding me ever since we set out. What happened to make you uncomfortable? Was it something I said or did while I was drunk?"

Shifting uneasily, Nozomi said, "I guess you could say that."

"What is it then? Just tell me." Before she could stop him, he scooted over and grasped her hands in his. "I'd be happy if we could just go back to that easy friendship we had before. Whatever it is, we'll fix it." When Nozomi still didn't say anything, and was clearly contemplating fleeing, he continued, desperate to make her more at ease. "How about you start at the beginning and work your way to whatever it is that's bothering you?"

Taking a deep breath, Nozomi nodded her agreement. "The first noteworthy thing that happened was when you started prancing around preening yourself and singing 'I feel pretty'." In spite of her nervousness, she had to smile at the memory. Yes indeed, payback still felt good after all this time.

Confused, Hotohori asked for clarification. "Did I just make up a song?"

Trying and failing to inch away, Nozomi said, "No, it's a song from my world."

A teasing light in his eyes, he scolded her, "So it's your fault then."

"Hey! You ordered me to teach it to you. Who am I to ignore a direct order from the emperor?"

"Okay, so what are the words to this song? I'd like to know how big of a fool I made out of myself."

At this, an idea popped in Nozomi's head. An idea that made her heart pound even faster than it was already, and made her palms sweat, but she figured might actually make it easier to tell him what went on. Or so she tried to reason with herself. Another reason she would only admit to herself, was it would also allow her to do something she'd viewed as forbidden fruit for the past four days.

"How about we do a little role-playing? You be me, which will be really easy, you just sit there and laugh, and follow my lead, and I'll be you." Hotohori obligingly began laughing at her, as she began her song, doing her best to impersonate Hotohori's drunken movements.

As their little dance went on, interrupted only by occasional groans of mortification from Hotohori, Nozomi thought she might faint with embarrassment and nerves, and couldn't seem to decide if that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, all she wanted to do was flee and never have to face all these feelings she couldn't control. On the other hand, she really wanted to kiss him again.

The pesky little rational voice in her head told her that she should have just told him about the kiss instead of demonstrating, but she ruthlessly shoved that into the deepest corner of her mind. She could do this, she wasn't going to faint, and maybe going over it again when they were both sober would clear any discomfort between them.

'_Either that or we'll both be so embarrassed we won't be able to stand to look at each other.' _

All too soon, and yet not soon enough, she came to the end of the song. She considered dipping him, but she was afraid of loosing her grip. So instead she warned him of the difference. "At the end here, you dipped me, but you're considerably heavier and stronger than me, so I'm skipping that part."

Smiling reassuringly, Hotohori looked down into her eyes, "So what came after I dipped you?"

Obviously bracing herself, in one swift movement that left no room for second thoughts, she planted her lips on his. Hotohori's eyes widened in surprise, but quickly closed them, and moved his hands to her waist to bring her closer, as he continued to taste the softness of her mouth. Her hands were now trapped against his chest, gripping the fabric there for dear life as the kiss deepened. One of his hands moved of its own accord to tangle in her hair, cradling her head.

As if in response, Nozomi moved her hands around his neck, taking a tentative step towards him, and a soft moan escaped from the base of her throat. Lightly, she ran her nails against the skin of his back, dipping below the collar of his yukata to clasp his shoulders.

When both were too lightheaded to breathe properly, they gently pulled away. "Not exactly like that, but you get the idea." Her voice was husky, and she still looked dazed from the swarm of emotions coursing through both of them. Her eyes locked in on his, and he suspected that like him, she couldn't bring herself to break eye contact.

"I had hoped our first kiss would be something more romantic than one of us being drunk and unable to remember. Can we forget the first one and us this one as our first kiss?"

Swallowing her nervousness, Nozomi nodded and then asked, "How do you feel about our first kiss?"

With a wicked gleam in his eye, and a mischievous smile on his face, Hotohori declared, "I think we need to repeat it." So said, he swiftly bent down for a second helping.

Several minutes later when the kiss finally ended, Nozomi had a goofy grin on her face. _'Wow. I was right, embarrassment is gone.'_ But now that that was taken care of, she needed to tell him some things, before he got into his 'I love you, be my Empress' speech. She saw Hotohori open his mouth to say something, so she put a finger to his lips.

"There are some more things we need to talk about before anything else is said. There are things you need to know about me before you decide if you want to explore these feelings we have for each other."

"Nozomi, do you love me?"

Looking into his eyes, sincerity written in every line of her features, she said, "I do."

Smiling, he drew her close. "Then that's all I need to know." Bringing her palm up for a kiss, he continued. "I already know I love you, and no matter what you say, that will never change."

Now Nozomi was torn. _'Should I just take him at his word? I really want to, but this is probably something he should know. I don't know if I could stand to see that loving look change into one of disgust. I guess the question is, am I strong enough to tell him?'_

Seeing some of the questions on her face, Hotohori grew a little worried. "Nozomi, what is it?"

"I really think this is something you should know." _'Darn that sounded too pleading. I need to be firm about this, dang it!'_

Before she could say another word, a crash was heard nearby. "No fair, no da!"

"Chichiri." they both declared, now thoroughly alarmed. Grabbing their weapons, they ran off to the sound of the fight.

What they saw when they arrived made both their mouths drop in shock. Chichiri was in his super-deformed mode, squirming against the headlock Nuriko had him in. The crash they had heard was Tasuki's horse bucking him off, Tamahome was mercilessly teasing the bandit, and Chiriko was attempting to be the adult in a mass of children.

Sighing, Nozomi looked at Hotohori. "Maybe we should say something before Nuriko ends up killing Chichiri." He nodded once in response, and turned back to the chaos in front of him.

"Nuriko, considering he is one of the Suzaku warriors, we need him alive."

All movement stopped as the five men stared at the two. "Hisashiburi." Nozomi said with a wave.

Finally Nuriko spoke. "You mean he isn't the one who captured you?"

"No. In fact, if it wasn't for him, Kutou would have killed us. Why did you think he was the kidnapper?" This came from Hotohori.

"He had a feather from Nozomi's wings."

"Well, he is one of the good guys. So you can let him go now." As if he hadn't realized he still had Chichiri in a chokehold until Nozomi mentioned it, Nuriko quickly let go, apologizing briefly.

"Da!" was Chichiri's only response as he rubbed the abused portion of his neck. The rest of the day until they set up camp for the night was taken up with explanations and getting acquainted with each other. Nozomi had to take a break to speak with the palace advisors, who were less than happy at current events.

"We want His Highness and one other warrior to come back to the palace immediately. This is far too dangerous. He needs to be where he'll be safe."

"Or, we could find the only warrior left, and he'll have seven bodyguards instead of one."

"It didn't work last time! He got captured, he was almost killed!"

"Exactly! And you want to send him all the way back to the palace with only one person to protect him? Kutou captured two people before; they'll have no problem doing it again. It's safer for him if he stays in the group. Sending him back now is the last thing we need to do."

"We want him back under our security where we can keep an eye on him. Let me talk to Heika-sama. He'll be able to see reason."

"No! I'm not going to let you manipulate his sense of duty and honor to guilt him into doing something that would only put his life in more danger than it is already!"

"Listen you little brat, I've been a faithful advisor to His Majesty's family for more years than you've been alive. I don't need you coming in and putting ideas into his head."

"And what ideas would those be? That he has a right to have a life? To make his own decisions sometimes? And I'm not questioning your loyalty; I'm telling you that in your eagerness to do your job, you are being short-sighted. There's a difference."

Before she was tempted to say a lot more than that, things she shouldn't say, Nozomi lowered the mirror into her pocket, breaking their connection. Trying to breath deeply to calm herself, she walked back to camp, where in spite of her being quite far away, every word was heard.

"Nuriko, take this please." She handed the mirror to him like it was the vilest thing on the face of the planet. "Otherwise I might be tempted to break it."

Looking at her a little anxiously, Chichiri thought he detected a faint trace of that fire she had mentioned the other day. "Nozomi, I think we should go meditate."

"Good idea. I could use some anger management."

Once Nozomi and Chichiri were out of earshot, Hotohori turned to Nuriko. "Nuriko, please hand over the mirror. I need to talk to my advisor's."

Nuriko looked dubiously at him. "Are you sure that's wise? You're pretty angry at them."

"Yes, I am. But that's because I cannot allow anyone to talk to our priestess that way, much less my own advisors. Especially since she is right. I am safer in a group than I would be going back to the palace with only one other person."

"I agree, but don't you think it would be better to wait until everyone has calmed down?"

"Nuriko." Just one word, but it was spoken with such authority and command that he handed the mirror over without another argument.

To say that the palace advisors were shocked to hear that Hotohori agreed with Nozomi would be an understatement, and though they clearly resented the fact that his opinion appeared to be set in stone, they respected him enough to bow out gracefully. Though they couldn't help but shock him in return with one last parting shot.

"She's changed you, you know. And I'm not so certain it's for the better."

Distractedly, Hotohori put down the mirror. He remained lost in his thoughts, wondering of what was said was true. Had he changed? Was he less capable of an emperor now than he was before? How was that possible when Nozomi would be a wonderful empress herself?

He was not the only one pondering that statement. Soon Nuriko's voice penetrated their self-imposed silence. "They're right, you know. You have changed. But unlike them, I think it is for the better. She's made it more possible for you to stand up for your opinion. That's not a bad thing. I'm sure people might be sore about it for a while, but there's nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in."

A little stung, Hotohori defended himself. "I know that. And I do stand up for what I believe in."

This time it was Tamahome who put in his own brand of wisdom. "Yeah, in your personal life, what little you have. Like when you refused to choose a wife from the harem. But when it comes to your official duties, you've been pretty susceptible to their guilt trips. They've played on your sense of duty to get you to do what they want you to. Tell me this; if Nozomi hadn't interfered before this whole trip, would you have come?"

Hotohori was about to answer with an offended, 'of course!', but then he really got thinking. He remembered what life was like before Nozomi came along. How suffocated his advisors made him feel. Dozens upon dozens of examples of when he had bowed to their wishes and opinions entered his thoughts. Sometimes they had been right, and sometimes not.

Somehow, without him noticing, he had changed, he'd become more sure of himself. He would no longer be a puppet to anyone, he would still listen to their arguments, but he would use his own judgment from now on. The thought was liberating, and he felt like a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. He took a big breath and smiled in his newfound freedom.

"Earth to Hotohori! Hel-lo! Are you there?" Tasuki's voice intruded into his thoughts. Hotohori snapped to attention, sort of.

"Huh? Oh, uh, what was the question again?"

Tamahome sweat-dropped. "Never mind."

There was a moment of awkward silence that Hotohori didn't notice, as he was lost in his thoughts yet again, when footsteps were heard rapidly approaching. Soon Nozomi's voice could be heard shouting through the trees.

"I know just the thing that'll work. It'll completely kill my headphones, but this way everyone can enjoy it." While she spoke she'd reached her horse where her cloak was draped, and began rummaging through the pockets. Everyone turned to Chichiri in a mutual unasked question of, 'What's she talking about?' To which he only shrugged.

"I have no idea, no da. She just said meditation wasn't 'hitting the spot', and she knew just the thing that would."

"Ta da! Instant music! What do you all want to listen to, Josh Groban or Maaya Sakamoto?" Realizing that no one knew what she was talking about, Nozomi decided for them. "I'm in a Groban mood myself, so let's try that, shall we?"

Without waiting for an answer, she popped a round disc into the strange object she held in her other hand, after closing the lid, she fiddled with a few buttons and knobs before sound filled the campsite. It was a strange kind of music none of them had ever heard before, but it was peculiarly pleasant to listen to.

"This is actually a duet with Charlotte Church and Josh Groban, but there's more with just Groban after this one. Both their voices are good though, don't you think?"

"What are they saying, no da?"

So Nozomi translated some of the words, and explained the basics of Christianity so they could understand the context.

"I don't fucking like this stupid music. Play something different." At Tasuki's request, she tried out Canto Alla Vita, hoping the funkier beat would be more to the bandit's taste. At his request that she translate it, she had to admit that she couldn't. "Why not?"

"It's in Italian."

"Keep going, I don't like this one either."

"Hey bandit-boy, I like it, so stuff it." Nuriko pounded Tasuki on the back, sending him face-first into the ground.

"Same here, flame boy. Quit whining." In truth, Tamahome didn't really care for it, but he'd say almost anything to annoy Tasuki.

"The relationship between the notes is certainly interesting, unlike anything in this world. Nozomi, could I perhaps borrow this sometime to study it in more depth?"

"Of course. I didn't know you were interested in music theory, Chiriko."

"I have read almost every book I have been able to access. Several of them have been on music."

"I don't know anything about music, except that I love listening to it."

"Hey Chiriko, do you know how to play any instruments?"

"Yes, Tamahome, I play the flute, why do you ask?"

Suddenly the warrior looked a little embarrassed and unsure of himself. "It's just that, well, my little sister, Yuiren, she really likes music, and, well, maybe sometime, you could…play for her?"

And so the little group divided into two separate groups of conversation. Tamahome and Chiriko talking about the possibility of him playing for Yuiren, while Nuriko interrupted with inquiries about his sister. Nozomi continued to translate some of the songs for Hotohori, which included You Raise Me Up, When You Say You Love Me, and You're Still You. And Tasuki continued to try and convince her to stop playing the 'sissy music', and switch to something better. Chichiri merely watched the whole group with amusement. Really, you learned so much when you sat back and watched.

Finally, after You're Still You, she bowed to Tasuki's wishes, and put in the Spiderman II Soundtrack, specifically, Ordinary by Train. This was much more to his taste, which he let everyone in the vicinity know by his enthusiastic and loud compliments. He also began to invent his own little 'bandit dance' to the song, rather reminiscent of the one he and Kouji performed back at base.

Nuriko laughed his head off at Tasuki's antics, and tried to show him up. Everyone just laughed harder, however, when Nuriko turned out to be worse than Tasuki. Pretty soon it was a full-on dancing competition, with Nozomi and Chichiri as judges. That is, until Chichiri tried to declare himself as the winner without ever having danced.

Looking about as serious as anyone can with a smiley face mask on, he said, "The winner of Konan's dancing competition is…" after the proper dramatic pause at this point, Chichiri went super-deformed and finished, "me, no da!" Still SD-ed, he began pumping his fists in the air, waving his hips and little shuffling/jumping motions with his feet.

Chiriko was the first one to break down and laugh out loud. He tried valiantly to hold it in, but it was just too strong for him. Soon everyone was laughing with him. With all the roaring laughter around them, no one noticed that there was someone else who couldn't hold his laughter in.

A young man hid in the bushes nearby. He'd been following the group ever since they found the kid. His orders were specific. If the miko happened to escape, he was the backup plan. His laughter stopped as his anger took over. She and her kind were the reason for his misery. He would not fail this mission. He'd let them laugh for now, but tomorrow, there would be no more smiles for them, he'd make sure of it.


	14. Two Ways to Face Grief

Lonely Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any bit of this story, Fushigi Yugi belongs to Yuu Watase, and Harry Potter/Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

Author's Note: I'm sorry if Mitsukake seems OOC in this, but this is how I pictured the scene in the original series, if Shoka hadn't come up. Oh, and in my story, Shoka was never possessed by the sickness demon. Just for clarification. Oh, and if Tasuki seems a little OOC at one point here (when you get to it, you'll know what I mean), just remember how chivalrous he is, and all will become clear.

Two Ways to Face Grief

A silent figure crept through the darkness. Avoiding bodies twitching in sleep, it tip-toed towards its destination. The long haired form of Konan's emperor could now be made out in the darkness. Crouching down, the figure slowly reached a hand out to cover his mouth…

Hotohori tried to scream as he felt a hand close over his mouth, and he began to struggle against the person holding him down. Suddenly the dearest voice in the entire world was begging him to be quiet. As she leaned down, he could see by the last glowing embers of the fire that it was Nozomi kneeling by his side. Calming instantly, he tried to ask her what she was doing, but she motioned for him to be silent, and grabbed his hand to lead him away from camp.

They ended up by the lake they'd camped at. This one was particularly large, and deep. Nozomi turned to him and whispered, "We're going into the water. I'm going to perform a little spell that will let you talk and breathe under there." After the warning, she brought out her wand and whispered a few Latin words. Still holding his hand, she dragged him to the edge, and dove into the water, taking him with her.

For the next few minutes, they didn't talk much; Nozomi only occasionally pointed out a fish or plant and told him what it was. They soon came upon an area where there was room for two to sit down, and this is where Nozomi guided him to.

"We need to talk, but I didn't want to risk getting captured like last time. This seemed like the best plan. I think you'll agree that we got interrupted at a very bad time today."

"Yes, we did. You had something you needed to tell me?"

"A couple things, actually." She then proceeded to tell him everything she'd told Chichiri about the day her grandfather died.

"How could I deserve someone as wonderful as you when I have such a violent temper? I almost killed him, Hotohori! My actions were a slap in my grandfather's face. If he had been able to see it, he would have been so disappointed in me. I disgraced his memory, and I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for that."

"You and your grandfather were close then."

"Very. He was the only family I'd ever known. We never had one fight. He was such a gentle man; he took everything in his stride, and didn't let anything shock him. Not once did I ever hear him raise his voice. He always treated me like an adult, with respect for my opinions and feelings." Nozomi met his gaze with loving tenderness. "He was a lot like you, actually."

"Then he would have understood. You had just found out that you were alone in the world. The uncertainty coupled with the grief would try the most saintly of tempers. I think your grandfather would have been sadder at how you shut yourself off from everyone else afterwards."

Nozomi sighed in resignation. "Yes, I haven't acted very mature, have I?"

"But it's very understandable." Hotohori's tone was comforting, reassuring.

"Most things are understandable if you look at them a certain way. But thank you. I do feel a little better. I guess I'll just have to risk getting angry, in order to feel everything else too."

Hotohori put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "Yes, and remember, even if you get a little angry sometimes, that's completely normal, and people will forgive you."

Nozomi smiled warmly at him. "You should remember that too, you know."

"Oh no, it's different for emperors."

"You are an emperor, but you're also a person. I think you tend to forget that more often than you should."

Hotohori held her close. "But I have you to remind me. You've never seen me as anything but a man, have you?"

"I have to admit, at first I didn't think much about you at all. But as I watched you, I grew to love your compassion and empathy that you have for your people. Even though you act vain, you never once let that interfere with your opinions and behavior towards others. But most of all, I love your kindness, and your inner strength."

"You have all those things too, Nozomi. I wonder if you realize what an excellent Empress you'll be."

A pained expression came on to Nozomi's face. "What is it? Doesn't all this mean that you're going to marry me when this is over?"

"Oh, Hotohori. I can't. That's what Taiitsukun wanted to talk to me about."

"What? What do you mean, you can't? What does Taiitsukun have to do with this?"

Taking hold of Hotohori's hands, as much to calm him as herself, Nozomi tried to explain. "She told me that when all this was over, even if I made one of my wishes to stay here, I couldn't. That's the one wish the gods can't grant, because as long as I stay here, the portal is open to almost any person determined to get in."

"So what if a few extra people came in, we'd be together."

Nozomi began to cry, though Hotohori didn't see because they were underwater still. "You say that now, but I know once you've had time to think about it, you'll realize that you don't want to put your people in danger any more than I do. Believe me, Hotohori, when I say I would do almost anything to be with you. But if I put your people in danger, you might one day resent me for it, and I could never deal with that."

Roughly he pulled her towards him into a fierce hug. "I could never resent you, never. You have brought light and hope into my lonely existence, and I can only be grateful for that. As an emperor, I know you're right, and that I'll have to let you go. But as a man, I never want you to leave."

Desperately she clung to him. "I don't want to go either, but I have no choice. If it were up to me, I'd stay with you and completely forget my bleak existence before, and make this my world. But it's not my choice. When my duties as priestess are finished, I have to go back." Straightening up, she forced her tears to subside. "At least you'll be free to choose a woman who would make a good Empress."

Now Hotohori was near tears. "Nozomi, though I will have to choose an Empress for the sake of my people, you are the only woman I want for that position. Had fate allowed it, I believe you would have been the best Empress our country has ever known." Gently, he wiped away a tear, which was rather pointless in actual fact, but a sweet gesture.

"You're biased." He gave a weak smile.

"Yes I am. But when I see what a great priestess you are, I also see how you would be as my wife." He paused to control his rampant feelings. "I guess all I can ask of you now is that while you're here, you love me, and let me love you."

"Hotohori, even if you hadn't asked, I would love you until my dying day. That's inevitable; I couldn't stop if I wanted to." She paused for a moment, "I don't know if you already know this or not, but nothing physical can come of our relationship. In order to summon Suzaku, I have to be a virgin. That's the other thing Taiitsukun told me."

Gently drawing her back to him, he tucked her head under his chin. "I know. I just want to treasure what time we have with each other."

"It's going to be difficult. Every time I see you I want to touch you."

"I know, but can't we just take what comfort we can in holding each other close?"

Nozomi wrapped her arms around his waist. "I already do. But sometimes I can't help wanting…more." A blush crept into her cheeks. "I'll try to control myself, though."

"As will I. But please, try not to cry anymore. We still have time with each other, even if it's not that much."

She sighed. "Oh Hotohori…"

"What is it?" he asked, lifting her chin to look at him.

"I really want to kiss you, but I can't with the Bubble Head charm in place."

Suddenly Hotohori looked rather, mischievous. "Well, we do have all the time it takes for your tail to dry…"

Giggling, she said, "I suppose you're right. Shall we emerge, then?"

"I have one more question first."

"Yes?"

"Back in Kutou, when we were about to be executed, you smiled. Why?"

"When I was a kid, whenever I had to do something I didn't want to do and I was grumpy about it, Grandpa used to always tell me, 'You can't avoid it, so you might as well smile about it.' At first I didn't understand what he meant, but as I got older, I realized he was telling me that if you can't avoid it, accept it. But more than that, accept it with what grace and happiness you can. Those were some of his last words before he died."

"I think I would have liked to meet him."

Nozomi really did smile now. "You two would have gotten along really well. He would have liked you. Now, if there are no more questions, can we go up for that kiss now?" She looked at him with would-be innocent eyes.

"Of course."

Not letting go of each other for even one minute, they slowly swam straight up towards the surface of the lake, where the charm was promptly removed, and the two shared a kiss full of gentle tenderness, communicating better than any words just how precious they were to each other. Once they were on the bank, Nozomi carefully finger-combed Hotohori's silken hair to help it dry faster. Hearts full of each other; they talked until both were suitably dry, before heading back to camp, hand in hand.

The next morning, the almost unnoticeable tension that had been in the group before was gone, dispersed by Nozomi and Hotohori telling each other the truth, and knowing exactly how things stood. Jokes traveled more freely, laughter rang more clearly, and smiles were wider. After a particularly carefree breakfast, everyone pitched in to load everything onto the horses. Those present were shocked and appalled, however, when a splash was heard, followed by Nozomi's angry shout of, "God damn it!"

Upon investigation, they found that she was dripping from head to tail. And was more pissed than they'd seen her so far. Looking beyond those of her party and into the forest, she asked, "Who the hell did that?"

A boy of about 15 with dirty blonde hair entered the clearing. "I did."

Nozomi's only response was an icy glare, and a blunt, "Well you suck."

The boy smirked, and sent a demented yo-yo of death towards her immobile body. Not able to move out of its path, Nozomi closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to set it. It never did.

When she opened her eyes, she was in Tasuki's arms, several feet away. "Man you're heavy. Ever think of losing a few pounds?"

Nozomi smacked him upside the head. "Shut up." She thought for a moment. "And thanks." Tasuki gave a fanged grin and ran off to join the fight.

Meanwhile, Hotohori had grabbed his sword, and was locked in a fight with the newcomer, assisted by all the others except Chiriko, who had snuck over to Nozomi to make sure she was alright.

The numbers now being 5 to 1, the stranger paled a little, but kept fighting with an impressive determination. He'd managed to deprive Hotohori of his sword; Tamahome had several deep scratches from the yo-yos, as did Nuriko. So far, Chichiri and Tasuki were the only ones uninjured. Tasuki escaped because of his inhuman speed and Chichiri because he'd managed to hold onto his staff.

Knowing he was losing, but not wanting to lose his confidence, the boy shouted out, "I can't let you live, miko!"

"Keh! What have you got against us anyway? We've never seen you before." Tasuki was clearly impatient.

"I am Suboshi, of the Seiryuu Seven. That should be reason enough!"

Nozomi scoffed audibly. "Why?"

For some reason, this seemed to make Suboshi even angrier. "Your insolence knows no bounds, priestess!" Once again, his yo-yo came at her, but this time, it wrapped around her form with bruising force, and lifted her in the air as a shield. "Once you escaped from Kutou, Nakago sent me to take care of you. And for the crime of killing my parents, I was more than happy to agree to your death!"

It was final, she decided, he's crazy. Aloud she only said. "You seem to have your facts wrong. I've never killed anyone."

"Silence! I will hear none of your lies."

Another glare was his answer. "You know, you're really starting to bug me. If my wand wasn't out of reach, I'd teach you not to slander someone's reputation without thought or proof."

"Too bad, priestess." Using his yo-yos, he tossed her over the heads of her warriors, where she landed unceremoniously on a rock, and a pool of blood quickly began to form beneath her head.

Enraged on her behalf, everyone left conscious began to attack with renewed vigor, and they had soon destroyed the yo-yos, and crippled the young man himself. With a couple of broken ankles, he wasn't going anywhere soon. Chichiri used his magic to transport the troublemaker to the border between Konan and Kutou.

Nuriko bandaged Nozomi's head, but she remained unconscious, and the bleeding refused to stop. They talked about it, and decided that the best thing to do would be to get her to a doctor as quickly as possible. After drying her legs off, Hotohori mounted his horse, and Nuriko gently handed him the invalid once he was stable. He leaned her inert form against him, her head resting in the crook of his neck and shoulder, and his arms keeping her upright, while he reached around her to grab the reins.

After two hours of slow traveling, as Nozomi's bandages had to be changed frequently, the silent group came upon a lone house.

"Why don't we stop here, no da? Then Nozomi can rest inside while one of us goes to fetch a doctor? It can't be good for her to ride a horse in her condition, no da."

Generally agreeing on the wisdom of this plan, they guided the horses to the small cabin. It was almost certainly abandoned, the grass around it was untended, the wood was rotting in places, and the roof was badly in need of repair. Thinking it was certainly empty, and eager to get off his horse, Tasuki hurried inside to open the door for Hotohori to carry Nozomi inside.

Standing in the doorway, the two men looked on in astonishment. Literally every surface was covered with small jars full of medicine. In a corner, a little white cat was happily contemplating their presence. It appeared this cabin was not so abandoned after all, just neglected.

Before the others could get much more than a peek at their new surroundings, a deep, masculine voice interrupted their thoughts. "What are you doing here? Go away."

The newcomer was a tall man, taller even than Hotohori. His appearance was unkempt, if not for the unusual intelligence in those dark, serious eyes, and his refined style of speech, he might almost have been a common beggar.

"Who are you?" Tasuki wanted to know with characteristic bluntness.

"I live here. Now go away." If you could be said to find any emotion in his demeanor and expression, it was annoyance. But that was only if you looked very closely. The similarities between this man, and Nozomi when she had first arrived in this world were so strong, that Tamahome felt compelled to remark upon it to Nuriko.

"Wow. He and Nozomi would have gotten along really well if they'd met sooner." The cross-dresser quirked an eyebrow in amusement, but otherwise showed no sign of having heard him. Instead, he approached the man with a request.

"Please sir, our friend here needs a doctor. We were hoping that she could rest here while we went to fetch one. She is in no condition to ride a horse any longer."

"No doctor will come here. The nearest village is that way." He pointed directly behind him, and then strode towards the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have to feed my cat."

"Wait!" Tamahome said. "What do you mean 'no doctor will come here'? Why not? Look at her! She obviously needs medical attention; she's lost way too much blood. It's not like we'd even be bothering you, she unconscious, for heaven's sake!"

The man seemed to consider his words. "She and one other may stay. But no doctor will come here."

Without waiting for him to change his mind, Hotohori quickly deposited her on a surface that Nuriko cleaned off by shoving everything to the floor. He stayed by her side, while everyone else promised to return soon with a doctor from the village.

The strange man gave no indication that he was aware of their presence any longer, absorbed in the task of feeding his cat. Sick with worry, the silence was oppressive to Hotohori. In spite of every less than subtle hint that his presence was not welcome, he tried to make simple conversation with the man.

"What's your cat's name?"

"Tama."

Hotohori paused, but it soon became clear that that was the only answer he was going to get. Thinking quickly, he pressed on. "What are all the jars for?"

This time his only answer was an angry glare. _'Okay, so that's a taboo subject.'_ "Thank you for allowing Nozomi to rest here. We were traveling when she was attacked. She hit her head on a rock."

Grudgingly, the man answered. "She must have hit it fairly hard."

Hotohori shivered at the memory. "Yes, she did. Riding on a horse for two hours afterwards hasn't helped any either."

The man opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he closed it with a snap, and turned away from Hotohori. Confused at his curious behavior, Hotohori turned back to check on Nozomi. She seemed flushed, so he checked her forehead. _'Warm. Is she developing a fever? Oh please hurry everyone, she needs a doctor!'_

Meanwhile, everyone else was at the doctor's house in the village. The man was gathering his medical bag, preparing to head out, when he asked, "So where is the young lady?"

"A cabin about a mile west of here." Chiriko quickly supplied. The doctor paled.

"You don't mean Myo Juan's place?"

"If Myo Juan is a freakishly tall man who looks like a beggar, then yeah, I guess we do." Tasuki was a little wary, with the tall man's warning of 'no doctor will come here' ringing in his head.

"I'm not going there. I don't care how bad she is, I'm not going up there. That man is creepy! Besides, he turned his back on this village months ago when we had an epidemic. I'm not going to help him with his problems now. Get him to help you."

"What do you mean, no da?"

"You didn't know? Myo Juan is the best doctor in these parts. Or at least he used to be until he gave up medicine. If your friend is in trouble, get him to save her. I'm not lifting a finger."

Not all of the arguments in the world, either verbal or physical, could sway him, or any other doctor in the area from that decision. So the group had to head back to the cabin with the bad news.

Hotohori heard approaching footsteps with almost frantic relief. Nozomi's fever had gotten worse, and his only conscious companion was perceptibly uneasy, though uncommunicative. He hurried outside to greet his friends, when something amiss came to his attention.

"Where is the doctor?"

Before heading inside, the others brought him up to speed on what the doctor had told them. Before they finished, Nuriko slipped away to see how Nozomi fared. She was starting to whimper in her sleep from the fever. Nuriko gently wiped the sweat off her brow, before turning to inspect their host.

The half anxious looks and conflicted frown he gave their priestess did not go unnoticed. Nor did the determined set of his jaw as he caught himself expressing what he sought to hide. Nuriko decided it was time to speak, and find out what the problem was.

"You were right. None of the doctor's would come here. It appears they resent you for not helping with an epidemic they had."

"I don't practice medicine on people anymore." His voice was cold, determined, and most of all, pained. But it was a pain that could easily be misinterpreted as anger.

"Why not?"

"I just don't!" He shouted.

"So you won't help her?"

"No." Having pronounced this, he turned his back on both of them.

"Then she dies." Nuriko's voice was just as matter-of-fact as his. The man was clearly taken aback, not expecting Nuriko to be so blunt.

"Get someone else to help her."

"They refuse to come. If we move her again, she won't make it. If you won't help her, she dies."

"She won't be the first."

"And you're not even going to try."

"I don't work on people!" He was back to shouting. Obviously, Nuriko was hitting a nerve.

"But what has she done to you, that she deserves to be condemned to death? For that is what you are doing." This interruption came from Chiriko, who had entered with the rest of the warriors. The five of them were crowded round the door, silent, but determined.

"I keep telling you, I don't work on people anymore!"

"Why?" Tamahome insisted on knowing.

"Go away!"

Tasuki, working desperately to contain his anger at such an obstinate refusal to help an innocent woman, approached their panicked host. "Look at her. Look at her dammit! This woman is kind, loyal, and not nearly as annoying as the rest of her sex. She is dying, and you are her only hope for survival. If she needs blood, everyone in this room would gladly give her blood, if you want us to get on our knees and beg, we will. But we cannot save her without you."

Nozomi let out a particularly loud whimper, and struggled to say something. At first, it was the slightly hint of a whisper, but with the passing of a few seconds, they could distinguish one word. "Hoto…ho…ri."

Without hesitation, Hotohori knelt at her side, stroking the arch of her brow, gently clasping her hand in his, calming her with his touch. If anyone had spared a glance for Juan during this touching scene, they would have been amazed at the pain in his features. Inaudibly, he sighed.

"I will help."

This time the pain in his voice was so apparent, that not even Tasuki had the heart to utter his usual 'about damn time'.

Quickly and efficiently taking her temperature, and then examining the wound on her head, a frown settled on his features. His left hand twitched under his bandages. Something that sounded remarkably like "Suzaku give me strength" came from his mouth before he unwrapped the bandages, and held his freed hand above her head injury.

A brilliant green light surrounded Nozomi, as well as pretty green bubbles. The wound began to close before everyone's eyes. When the light died down, her skin was a more healthy color, and there was no trace of her head injury. "She won't wake for a few hours yet, and she won't be at full strength for a few days. But she will live."


End file.
